


Cinderella

by burmafrd



Category: Original Work
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:55:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 62,406
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27314428
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/burmafrd/pseuds/burmafrd
Summary: Not the Cinderella of the fairy tales. Just one for modern times.





	Cinderella

**Author's Note:**

> Something I kind of came up with when thinking about some movies I have seen over the years.

Jennifer Lowman was looking for her father. Jake Lowman had been arrested the previous Friday night for drunk and disorderly; which was not terribly unusual. But this time instead of sitting the weekend in jail in Sneedville he had posted $1000 bail. Which was really bad because the family did not have $1000. So he put up the family farm as collateral. The rat Bail Bondsman took it; if Jake did not show up on Tuesday he would forfeit the bail; which would allow the bail bondsman to demand the family farm be sold at auction to pay it. Which was sadly legal. Now since the farm already had a mortgage on it, what would be left after everything was done would not be much. And the family would be homeless. Jennifer at 17 was the oldest; little Jake was only 10, Alex was 6 and Judy was only 4. Rachel, their mother, had not been a strong woman and four children were too much for her; she got sick right after Judy was born and was gone a month later; just plain worn out. Jennifer had stepped up and while only just 13 basically became the children’s mother. Jake did work at the local furniture factory; but it had continually laid people off due to the hard times. So they were just barely scrapping by. Sheriff Johnson had come by and given Jennifer the bad news; he had his deputies keeping an eye out and Judge Thomas had promised to process him as long as he showed up by midnight the next night. But where Jake was – that was another story. Jennifer knew he was probably out with his drinking buddies guzzling shine at someone’s hunting shack up on some nearby hill. The question is which one. She had to find him. So she saddled Nell, her good horse, and headed off.

James Wilkinson was a very rich man. Only 37, he had been running the business his father had left him at 23 so well that he had tripled its worth. Wilkinson investments was basically a group of lawyers and scavengers that bought ailing companies and usually sold off the pieces; sort of like an auto strip operation. Though he was nowhere near the shark his father had been; James sometimes kept the company going with some judicious moves and investments, then sold it at a profit later on. He did this about a third of the time. He was based out of Washington, DC; which might seem like the wrong place but actually was very well located. They had a nice sized office building; but what really made the business was the private 737 the company had. With a full sized office inside it, they could go anywhere and while parked at an airport do business. That had been his idea; rather than operate out of motels and hotels. More secure and more of an advantage in dealing. It was now parked at the Tazewell Tenn. Municipal Airport. He had just completed a takeover of a small manufacturing facility that he intended to convert to making auto parts; minimal investment and a good profit would be coming. It was a relatively small deal, only $2 million dollars. Hardly worth doing most of the time but it had intrigued him and he had not been in Tennessee before; especially the rural areas. He had known that it was a poor part of the country but seeing it now made him realize just how poor. Dressed in what looked like common work pants and in a cheap rental car (to him) he had started to drive around the area. He liked to do this a couple of days before making the deals. Gave him a chance to get the lay of the land and feel out the area. With the deal done and not due to leave for at least another day while the paperwork was finalized, he decided to drive into the country some more; he was not sure why.

Jennifer had started out that morning at 7 and it was now noon and there had been no sign of him. Nell was starting to get tired so she went home; got there about 1. She then saddled Jed, a fairly good horse that you had to watch or he would pitch you. But Jennifer had been riding since she was 5 so he had virtually no chance. As she headed up another hill, she began to think about things she normally did not want to. Like life and her world. Her world was the small schools here; and the hills and valleys of northern Tennessee. Maybe 30-40 miles in any direction. Their small farm; where they raised the food they ate and managed to keep some chickens, pigs, hay and cattle in addition to some horses that they were able to trade now and then for the things they needed. Sad fact was that most of their money did not come from Jakes job; but from ADC and the rest, like most of the people in Hancock County. She supposed it could be worse; and it certainly would be if she could not get her father back in time. She dreamed sometimes of getting away; but how would she leave? A high school education in a poor school district was not much; even if she had made Honor Roll last year. She was due to graduate in June; and to what? Jobs were hard to find, unless she left and what kind of good job would she get elsewhere? Even if somehow she got a full ride scholarship to a college it would still be very hard to make it; not that she really had a chance at any of those. IF she did not find her father today she would have to skip school tomorrow to keep looking for him; probably passed out drunk. At least Dad did not smoke; all too many did; most of the income earned in this county went to beer, shine or cigarettes. One option that had been going around in her mind was joining the military; she was fairly sturdy and while not athletic she was strong and solid after years of working on a farm. She supposed a lot of the boys thought she was pretty, but that had never been important for her and taking care of the children took up time that might have been spent with friends or even a boyfriend, if she had one. It surprised her a little that she even thought about marriage and kids, since she had all but raised the three little ones. Sometimes she dreamed like Cinderella; some prince to come along and sweep her off her feet and take her away to live in a castle. Well like that was going to happen.

James had decided to drive east on SR 33, a winding country road. In this early March the leaves were still mostly brown, though not always. He was willing to bet in the spring and summer it would be lush, and beautiful in the early fall. But now it just seemed to illustrate how very poverty stricken this area was. The town of Sneedville was around 20 miles or so away, might as well see what there was to see. Though he doubted there was much more to find.

Urging Jed up another hill Jennifer came to another shack and checked it out; empty. It was near 3 now and nothing. Beginning to look like she would miss school tomorrow. Once again her thoughts as she rode down the hill came back to her position; the military was beginning to look like the only possibility. She supposed the Air Force would be best; get some more schooling and training and maybe make something of herself; or even make it a career. Problem was she doubted if she had the ability to not keep answering back at idiots; which she was willing to bet would be around way too much. She knew she had a mouth on her at times; and it had gotten her in trouble now and then. But really what other option was there? And then there were the children; who would look after them if she left? It would be at least another year or two before they were really old enough for her to leave. Well no reason to keep thinking about it. She dropped down off the hill and started riding down the side of 33, which would take her towards Sneedville; a quick cut north would take her to their farm which was just five miles from Sneedville.

James had slowed down as the road grew more winding; he was barely going 25 miles an hour when he came around a corner to find a girl on a horse right in the middle of crossing the road. He came to a stop but the horse spooked and threw the girl, whose long brown hair waived as she landed in the ditch and the horse took off. He stopped the car and headed over to see if she was all right.

Jennifer lay on the ground for a moment and cursed that stupid horse; of course if she had not been woolgathering she would have heard the car and the horse would not have thrown her. She looked up as the driver approached her.

Cute girl; maybe 17 or 18. Dirty jeans, coat, boots, and a stocking cap that had come off.  
“Are you OK?”

”Think so. Need to send that horse to the glue factory; but I should have been paying attention.” She slowly got up and took a step and nodded at him.

“I take it he is headed for home?”

“Yeah. It’s about another 3 or 4 miles.”

“I can take you there. It’s a little my fault anyway.”

“No its not. You were going real slow; and driving carefully. It was because of that dumb horse and my lack of attention.”

“Well I still would like to give you a ride anyway. It’s not like I am in a hurry or going anywhere.”

Jennifer now took a good look at him; he was older, in his 30’s, and certainly was not poor. His clothes were simple but not really cheap; the rental car while not fancy was from Hertz, which was not cheap. Rugged face; brown hair, brown eyes.

She is pretty; those flashing blue eyes are really striking. Looks like she had a good figure and a pretty face; nice voice. Well at least I will spend some time with someone interesting. He motioned to the car.  
“Just let me know where to turn.”

Jennifer was undecided for a minute; but she needed to get home; and it would take her nearly an hour to walk. He seemed OK. She got in the car and spotted what looked like a computer laptop, and not a cheap one either. There were some clothes in the back. She buckled her seat belt and enjoyed the warm car; it was only in the low 40’s out there. She looked over as he got in.  
“Businessman?”

“Yes. You think I am a traveling salesman?”

“No. You do not have the used car salesman look. Accountant or something like that? And why are you around here?”

“No, not an accountant. I was just wandering around since business was over; just got curious about this area. Was over in Tazewell.”

“Nothing to see around here. I have lived here all my life and I can tell you that for certain.”

He started the car and headed slowly down the road, not wanting to hit anyone and frankly enjoying the company.  
“Well my name is James Wilkinson.”

“Jennifer Lowman.”

“Well Jennifer, this does not seem like a day to go out riding unless you have a reason.”

Jennifer did not want to admit to a complete stranger what she was doing, but that bit of recklessness of the mouth that she had just had to come out.  
“I am trying to find my drunken father so that he can be arraigned for drunk and disorderly so we do not lose the bail money.”

James blinked. “OK. So where do you think he is?”

“Probably out with a couple of his drinking buddies passed out in a hunting shack. I have been checking the ones I know of but so far no luck today. Once I get home I will rest up and if he has not shown up by morning I will skip school and keep looking.”

“And they are pretty much inaccessible by car or truck?”

“Some are and some aren’t. I have checked most of the ones that I can only get to on horse; our truck is parked at the jail.”

“Well as I said I am at loose ends here; so just give directions. Sounds like it could be interesting.”

Jennifer thought hard. She needed to get Dad home; why not?

“OK. There is a dirt road coming up on the left; head up it.”

He had to be careful but he had gotten a front wheel drive car that was pretty nimble. But they made it to the first shack which was empty. The weather had been cold the last few days so the ground was fairly hard still. As they got up to the third possibility Jennifer was looking at the sun; it was almost 5 and only about a half hour of daylight left. Then she saw that there appeared to be life in the shack. When the car stopped she got out.

James turned off the car and followed her in. To call it a shack was probably overdoing it; more like a shed. But it had a stove pipe coming out the side with smoke showing; so it looked like someone was in it. He was right behind her as she opened up the shack door.

Jennifer looked around in disgust. Shine and anything usually meant sick to the stomach and there was plenty of evidence there. Then she was relieved to spot her father passed out in the far corner. She moved towards him in the dim light from the single window.

Well this had been a real drinking party; complete with vomit and the rest. He watched her go to the corner; from the way she acted that must be her father. Looked like about 5-10 to 6 ft, black hair, neither thick nor thin. Fairly non-descript. Passed out but at least it looked like he had not thrown up on himself. James went over to where she was kneeling, trying to wake him up.

Jennifer nudged him and pulled at his shoulders. But he was truly out. She had always been grateful that her father was not a mean drunk; usually just quiet until he passed out. But he was surely gone now. She looked up as James knelt next to her.

“Out cold?”

“Yeah.”

“OK, let me get him.” It’s a good thing he kept in shape because this guy was probably close to 200 lbs of dead weight. He managed to put him over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry and get to his feet, if barely. She guided him past the other drunks as they got out the door.

Jennifer ran over to the car and opened up the back door; thankfully a four door. She quickly moved the things in the back seat to make space as James managed to get Jake into the car.

James buckled the drunk in and stood up, puffing hard.  
“OK. Where do we take him? Right to the courthouse?”

Jennifer chewed her lip. He was not due till tomorrow. And passed out was not a good way to appear before the judge. And they needed to get the truck. She looked at James.  
“Home to sober him up. Then if you could run me back to the jail to pick up the truck so we can get him to the courthouse tomorrow.”

“No problem. Like I said it’s been interesting. And I had absolutely nothing to do otherwise. I have managed to spend a few hours with a charming young lady so the day certainly has not been a total loss.”

Jennifer blinked a little at that. Was he trying to flirt with her? Nahh. She was too young for him and he did not seem that type anyway.

James grinned to himself; she was a little puzzled by him; probably did not think he was trying to flirt. Not like that was something he had ever done. His relationships had been few and brief.

They managed to get down to the state road before it got dark; it took until a half an hour after that to get to the small farm. Being as it was almost dark he could not see much; he figured he was not missing anything. Her father was snoring away; so once again James lifted him over his shoulder and carried him in; she led the way and had him drop the burden on the front sofa. After letting go he realized he had an audience. One boy of around 10; dark haired and dark eyed like his father; one around 6 or so and a carbon copy; then a moppet of about 4 that looked up at him with big eyes; she was adorable. Jennifer shooed them back upstairs, while she told them that she would be back in a while and to behave themselves. He, not wanting to appear nosy, moved to the door and waited for her. She came tripping quickly down the stairs. He liked the way she moved and there was real life to her eyes now.

Jennifer was feeling a lot better; the possibility of losing their home was gone now. Little Jake had caught Jed and put him back in the barn, so nothing needed to be done there. He and Alex had fed the chickens and taken care of the other animals for the night. She had fed the horses and the cattle when she had switched horses earlier. Now to just get the truck.

It did not take that long, only about 20 minutes, even at night to get to town. James looked around the sleepy town. Jennifer had told him this was really the only town in the county. He asked her what she was going to do about supper; she blinked and realized she had forgotten about that. The kids had gotten fed; Mrs Reilly next door had seen to that; Jennifer had asked her that afternoon. They traded that back and forth between the two small farms; her three and their 4 often traded dinners. She had an older son that had to do a lot of the work on their farm because like Jake the father was not around much. And Mrs Reilly helped out at the small county library most days except Saturday and Sunday.

“The kids got fed next door; Mrs Reilly and I trade this off when something like this sort of thing comes up.”

“Is there a restaurant in town?”

“There is Cookies Restaurant just around the corner.”

“Well I am hungry and I bet you are as well so it’s my treat.”

Jennifer was very hungry; and the thought of not having to fix anything or do dishes was nice. So she directed him around the corner and they parked outside the small café. Jennifer had the keys to the truck so she could pick it up right away afterwards. Jennifer forgot that she was with a stranger; somehow she no longer considered James that when they sat down in a booth in the small café. She rolled her eyes as Jessie Logan came up to the booth; clearly very interested in the stranger with Jennifer.

“Hi Jenn. And who is this?”

“This is James Wilkinson. We met after I fell off of Jed when his car came around the corner on 33 near Black Road. He was nice enough to give me a ride here into town to pick up the truck and buy me dinner; he was just passing through and thought the place looked interesting. I think he knows better now but is too polite to say so.”

James blinked a little but went along with the somewhat modified version of the truth.  
“Hello. I am not quite willing to admit that this area is not interesting. Not yet anyway.”

Jennifer inwardly groaned as she could see the wheels turning in Jessie’s head; she had always been a gossip, and now she would be saying that Jennifer Lowman had an older man. Probably make it look like a Sugar Daddy or something raunchy like that. Finally they ordered and were left alone. She looked at James.  
“She is going to make up rumors that I have an older man.”

“Well If I do not appear again that will die down.”

Jennifer thought about that. “True.”

James was thinking very hard. It would take more than an hour, probably an hour and a half on narrow roads and he noticed that it looked like it was going to rain. He had noticed a small motel down the road; it had the vacancy sign blinking. It made sense to stay here over night. Besides he found himself very unwilling to leave Jennifer. Which reminded him; he needed to call in and let his people know he would not be returning to the hotel they had rented in Tazewell. He pulled out his satellite phone.

Jennifer noticed James pulling out a phone that looked a lot different from a regular cell phone. One of those IPods she had heard about?

“Rogers, I am staying at a small motel in Sneedville tonight. Got to wandering around and decided it was better not to try and get back tonight. I will call in tomorrow and let you know when I will be back. By the way, do the full run up on Sneedville; specifically the area banks.”

Jennifer looked at him with a question.

“This is a satellite phone- never have to worry about cell towers being too far away.”

“Oh. There is a cell tower in town – but none otherwise until you get to Tazewell. Most of this area cell phones do not work so not many have them.”

Jennifer was thinking about what she had heard; that had not sounded like he was talking to his boss; more like he was the boss. And checking out Sneedville, the banks especially. What was that about?

James could see that Jennifer had picked up on things; she was quite sharp. He decided to get her mind off that area.  
“I am guessing that there are not many jobs around here.”

“A couple of small factories that are closed down as often as they are running; Dad works at one. Jobs of any kind here are scarce.”

“You are a senior, right? What are your plans?”

“I cannot leave the kids alone; they are not old enough to really get along for long without me. Mom died when I was just 13; I have had to raise them pretty much by myself. No way do we have the money for me to go to college; even if I got a full scholarship which I will not get. I would have to be a straight A student and while I am on the honor roll I am not that good. I have been thinking in a year or two when the kids are older that I might join the Military. But I have a bit of a big mouth now and then and that could be a problem. But there are not any other real options for getting out of here.”

“And you do want out of here.”

“I want to see some of the world. I want to have a life where just paying next month’s bills are not something you are worrying all about every day. I am not going to get that around here. Yet I cannot leave my kids until they are older.”

James noticed the way she said ‘my kids’. She was their mother in every way that mattered. His admiration for this young woman was growing by the hour. As was his interest.  
“There is not much around here that would ever attract any businesses. Land is not great; transportation is expensive. Workforce is not exactly well educated. Infrastructure is not here.”

“Tell me something I did not know.”

James had an idea of something but it would not fully form.  
“Labor is cheap here, though. But manufacturing is out due to the problems already mentioned. Even the railroad probably abandoned the tracks around here decades ago.”

“Dad said they closed the last line through here in the late 70’s.”

James sat back and mused out loud. Jennifer listened with interest.  
“No manufacturing. But cheap labor. No transportation so goods cannot be moved in bulk. What else is there in this day? Data and information management? No, no draw here. Telemarketing; no that is not worth the time. Wait a minute. Customer service.”

Jennifer blinked. “What do you mean?”

“Have you had to call customer service for something but get someone in India you cannot understand?”

“I have heard about it; but that is not something you get much of around here.”

“Yes but all you need are people with the books and guides in front of them and phones. A lot of people in the US do not want to talk to someone 10,000 miles away and who speak with an accent hard to understand. Around here it’s not a problem –you do not have the deep Southern drawl that many find hard to understand. And this way you could hire people to work during normal business hours. Say two shifts from 6 am until 8 at night. There is a growing demand for that; and this place might be ideal for it. High unemployment; low labor costs; and it’s not work that requires a lot of training. All you need is a building and a reliable high flow telephone service.”

Jennifer thought about that. “The phone service around here is not so good.”

“Would not cost that much to set up a satellite link. Much higher volume and more reliable then terrestrial lines. Connect straight to the company HQ. “

Jennifer had big eyes. “How many jobs would you be looking at?”

“Probably at least 100, maybe more depending on how many companies would sign up. As long as the rates are competitive with the Indian services, many companies would jump at it to have their customer service in the US.”

“100 jobs around here would be huge.”

“And those jobs would generate more around here in support and service. Maybe 50 or more there as well.”

“How well paying?”

“Probably $10 an hour; and benefits.”

“That would make them just about the best jobs in the county easily.”

“I will check this out some more. Talk to the guys at work. “

“Who will you have to convince?”

James got a strange little smile at that.  
“If I am convinced that is not a problem. All I have to show is that it will make money.”

Jennifer smiled at him. “Looks like a good thing for this county that you decided to wander around.”

“Could be. It’s after 8; you probably should get home and I can get to the motel and start doing some number crunching. What time do you have to get your father in tomorrow?”

Jennifer blinked. “I will skip school to make sure he makes it in. Probably around 9.”

“I will still be in town. If I do not see you stop by the motel; they can get a message to me if I am not in the room. But I probably will be; I can use my laptop for communication. By the way here is my phone number. I will probably have some more questions for you about this area. Will need them to flesh out my proposal.”

Jennifer took the phone number- it was a card with just his name and the number on it.  
“I will call you once we head towards town.”

“I look forward to seeing you tomorrow.”

They walked out the door and James made sure the nosy waitress saw him walk the opposite way from Jennifer.

At home Jennifer checked on her father who was still dead to the world. She got ready for bed and went back over the day. James certainly was a mover and shaker. If he got things done then life in this county would get a lot better for all of them. She determinedly took her mind away from the fact that he was very attractive; she was way too young for him to be interested. With that the busy day caught up to her and she fell asleep.

The small motel was actually fairly modern; the rooms were nice. He got himself situated then called Rogers.  
“What have you found out?”

He listened. About what he thought. The local banks were ok but nothing else; one of them would be rather cheap to buy. He put his suggestion to Rogers and ordered a full report by noon the next day on feasibility of a customer service phone center in Sneedville. Economic, labor, technical and legal. He checked his email and then relaxed and went to bed; dreaming of a brown haired girl with blue eyes and a firm chin.

He was awake by 6 the next morning. By 7 he was out of the room and grabbing a quick meal at the Subway. He had managed to worm the name of the bail bondsman out of Jennifer; he had something to take care of. He was wearing one of his better business suits- complete with vest and shoes; he knew without a doubt it was clearly and obviously more expensive than anything anyone else would be wearing in this town. It was a short walk to the place; it had just opened.

Jack Reddy was hoping he could make some real money off of Jake Lowman; he did not care who got hurt. He looked up as a very expensive business suit walked in his office. Way more expensive than any he had ever seen; the guy fit the suit as well. Hard looking type; must be an expensive lawyer- but who around here could even begin to afford him?

He did look like a rat. Well let’s get it done. He pulled out a very large roll of bills. He noticed the rat fixated real fast on the money.  
“This is to pay off the bail for Jake Lowman. $1000, correct?”

It was all Jack could do to not drool. “Plus fees it will be $1175.00.”

“Here it is. Now give me the paperwork.”  
He had made sure by calling one of his lawyers what needed to be done.

Jack looked hard at him. “What is Jake Lowman to you?”

“Nothing you need to know about.” And he left.

James was glad to leave there; he still wanted to wash his hands. Now he had Jake Lowman’s bail contract so Jennifer did not have to worry. He spent the next half hour at the county courthouse; he had spotted some land nearby that might do very well for the customer service center. The deed for 5 acres was in the name of Sam Wilson. He phoned that in and had them check him out. They responded that it would only take about $45 million to control the Citizens bank that was the main lender in this county. The First Century Bank, while also a lender, did not seem to be as important. It was also losing money. It would only take an infusion of $35 million to control. James thought for a moment; then ordered preparations to control Citizens; while more carefully checking out the weaknesses of First. They informed him that the rest of the package would be ready at noon. So far there did not seem to be any problems with the proposal.

Jennifer had the usual Monday morning rush to get the kids ready; Little Jake and Alex for the school bus, Judy to go next door with Mrs Reilly and her two young daughters. And get Dad ready for court; which was the toughest part. He finally woke up around 8, hung over as expected. Still not very clear at what was going on. She managed to get him to shower and shave and look halfway presentable. Just before she headed out she remembered and phoned James.

He pulled out his phone; it was Jennifer. He was somewhat surprised how much pleasure he had at hearing her voice.

“James? We are about to go out the door.”

“Good. I will meet you at the courthouse. The plans are going well. I have spotted some land and want your view on the area.”

Jennifer was not sure about having him around dad and the mess that the court was going to be, but she really had no choice.  
“We should be there in about 20 minutes or so.”

James had been getting a fair amount of looks with his expensive suit. The County Clerk had been very interested, but he had been able to hide which partial of land he was looking at. He was now walking up to the courthouse; which did not look half bad at all. It was easily the largest building in town, and stood out for its Victorian design. He went into the lobby and found that only one courtroom (there were only 2) was in use. Nothing was going on, since court did not start until 9. He slipped in and sat in the back row.

Jake had been very quiet; he was beginning to remember the stupid things he had done and the reason he was going to court. Jennifer was a little worried that the Judge might have had enough of Jakes BS and throw him in the county jail for a month; but he would probably relent and make it a month or so of weekends. The Judge was very aware of most family’s financial straits and throwing the breadwinner into prison for a stretch that would insure a lost job was just not a good thing. There was of course usually a fine alternative, but hardly anyone had that kind of money. Jennifer frankly felt that maybe having dad in the can during weekends might be a good thing; he would not be able to go out drinking.

Sheriff Johnson had observed the very expensive suit that the stranger was wearing. He had never seen anyone in Sneedville dressed like that; even when some politicians came through that were state, they did not have that kind of suit. Who was he and what was he doing here?

Jennifer followed her father into the courtroom and looked around; she was shocked to see James already there sitting in the back and wearing what looked like an incredibly expensive suit. She had no idea how much it must of cost, but it certainly was more than anyone around here would or could spend. That got her wondering just what he did; no accountant or anything like that had suits that expensive; and he did not seem to be a lawyer. He quietly motioned her to sit next to him. She felt very out of place in her denim dress; it was actually a present from relatives 3 years ago and the only really decent dress she owned that was not for summer. She had also slightly outgrown it at top; which was a little uncomfortable and made her feel like she was putting herself on display. Hesitantly she moved to sit next to him.

Jennifer looked quite nice in the denim dress; unless he missed his guess, it was a few years old and she had gotten it before she had fully developed. Jennifer was no Dolly Parton, but she was quite full up top. He found he had a hard time looking her in the eye. But he managed to smile at her and motion her to sit next to him.

Sheriff Johnson was stunned to see Jennifer Lowman sit next to the fancy suit; they seemed to know each other. But he was absolutely sure that he was no relative; none of hers, and as a matter of fact virtually no one in the county had a relative that could afford a suit like that. And it was not a rental, it was custom made.

James had not been sure how he was going to handle things, so he decided to find out what he could. His lawyer had given him the basic legal brief; D & D would usually have a fine of $500 or 30 days in jail, especially if he was a repeat offender and there was no reason to think he was not. And then there was of course the matter of buying his bail. James figured he would have to play it by ear.

“Court is now in Session, the Honorable James Thomas presiding.”

The judge walked in quickly “Be seated. First Case.”

“The People vs Jake Lowman; Drunk and Disorderly.”

Jake stood up. The judge glared at him. “Jake, this is the third time this year. This time you are going to do some time. $500 or 30 days in the county jail, to be served on weekends. Case closed. Next case.”

Jake sighed and headed toward the clerk.

James looked at Jennifer. She looked resigned.

“Is it a good or bad thing?”

“Honestly it might be good to have him in prison instead of out and getting into trouble. But I do not want him there. But there is no way we can afford the fine. I still have to find out how much the bail will cost in service charges.”

James nodded; he could see it in her eyes that despite the relative peace it might give her, she did not want her father in jail. That made his decision easy. He reached into his pocket and handed her an envelope. She looked at it then at him.

“This will take care of everything. And do not protest; I am starting a new business because of you and I can deduct this from the corporate taxes as a business expense. Go on.”

Pride warred with the need to take care of her family; her face showed the struggle. He closed her hand around the envelope.  
“Go on, Jennifer. Take care of your family.”

Jennifer wanted to say no; but she looked at her father and could not. She got up.

Sheriff Johnson had been watching this; this was very interesting. Now maybe for someone that could afford a suit like that it was not much money, but still. And what would he want in repayment. He was going to watch this very closely; he better not be trying to take advantage of Jennifer or suit or no suit he would be inside looking out.

Jake was quietly waiting for someone to give him the report notice and such; he was ashamed that he had gotten himself into this; and it was worrying Jennifer, which was so wrong. His little girl had so much to put up with as it was without him making things worse. But sometimes the dreariness of life got to him; the hopelessness that anything would ever get better. He saw her come up to him and sighed.

Jennifer walked right up to the clerk. “What is the fine plus court costs?”

The Clerk blinked. “$575.00”

Jennifer opened the envelope to find 50’s, 20’s, 10’s and 5’s. She counted out $550 in 50’s, then added a 20 and a 5. “Here it is.”

The clerk had seen few times when anyone paid a fine that size; and never had someone done it with such ease. But he counted it out and gave her a receipt.

Jake stood there with his mouth open. Where had she gotten the money? Jennifer took the receipt then took her father’s arm and pulled him with her towards the doorway; James had moved to stand there and was going out, clearly waiting for them outside the court.

Sheriff Johnson carefully got closer; this needed watching.

Jennifer came up to James and saw that he had some papers in his hand. “This takes care of the Bail. I guess the clerk needs to stamp it as well.”

Dumbly Jennifer nodded. James headed into the courtroom.

More than a few eyes widened at the stranger in the expensive suit heading towards the clerk.

“This is the bail documents for James Lowman.”

‘So this is where the money came from. Who is he and what does he have to do with the Lowman’s?’  
“Yes sir. I just have to stamp it and then the documents go back to the bail bondsman for his records. He will then return the Bail minus fees.” He stamped them “APPEARED” and James took them and left the courtroom.

Meanwhile Jake had managed to get over his shock.  
“Jenn, honey, where did you get that money?”

Jennifer took a deep breath. “I met someone and helped him get a business started; or I guess I should say helped him get the idea and he is starting on the business right now. He told me that he could deduct all of this from his taxes.”

Jake looked confused. “A business HERE?”

“Yes.” They both turned as James approached them. He held his hand out to Jake.

“James Wilkinson. Yesterday your daughter gave me an idea on starting a business here in Sneedville; I just happened to be wandering around and I accidentally spooked her horse and he threw her. I offered to take her home and we got to talking. And the idea came from that. These are small expenses and it’s not out of line at all. Here is your Bail Bond; you can return it to the Bail Bondsman and he will have to refund the bail, minus expenses. Here is the receipt. Use that money wisely.”

Jake shook his hand but still looked shocked.  
“What is the business that anyone would want to open around here?”

Seeing that they were starting to draw a small crowd, James motioned for them to follow him outside the Courthouse. Once outside he explained it.

Jennifer in the meantime had been thinking very hard. What James had said sounded plausible, but she knew there was more to it. What was going on here?

James looked at the bond. $1000 was more than he had ever seen at one time in his entire life. They could pay off the bills that they owed and even put a little in savings. He looked at the man in the expensive suit. He was looking at Jennifer with a slight smile on his face; he looked at his daughter and she was looking him right in the eye.

“James, I think it’s time I got the whole story.”

“Jennifer, I am starting a new business and you have helped. That is the whole story.”

“The whole story would include just who you are. That suit is way out beyond what an accountant or anyone like that would have; only a really expensive lawyer or a rich man wears suits like that.”

Sheriff Johnson had gotten close enough to hear this; he was just as interested in the answer; he now had the man’s name, James Wilkinson. Who he would be checking out right away.

James looked at Jennifer; considering his answers. Vague might be the best course right now.

“I am not a lawyer or an accountant. My company buys businesses and either sells off the parts or reworks them or reorganizes them; sometimes we merge them with others and then sell the whole package. Every now and then we start a new business; not often but it happens.”

Jennifer thought about that; she knew she was still not getting the whole story but he was getting there. She decided to give him a pass on the rest, for the moment. She looked at her father.  
“Better go take care of that bail now, dad. Then put the money in the bank.”

He looked at James, hesitated, and then nodded. “I am going to pay our bills off with it and put the rest in our savings account.” He put out his hand.  
“Business or not, I thank you. This will help my family.”

James looked at him as he shook his hand. “I hope you can avoid D & D from now on. Jennifer does not need that extra problem in her life.”

“No she does not. I can only promise I can try.”

James nodded. “That is all anyone can do.”

The Sheriff watched Jake walk off, then James Wilkinson and Jennifer walk out of the courthouse down the steps and head towards the center of town, Wilkinson guiding her. He right away walked to a public phone and called the Department.  
“Ada? I need a James Wilkinson checked out right away. Anything you can find on him; I have a hunch he is a rich man. He is in his middle 30’s, and about 6 ft, 200 lbs, brown hair and eyes. Do it as soon as you can.”

James figured he needed to keep her off balance, so he started right away asking her about the land he had seen just down the street.  
“I was able to find these five acres here are owned by Sam Wilson. Know anything of him?”

Jennifer looked at the bare land; a little overgrown, small hills, a few straggly trees.  
“Sam Wilson is a little better off than most of us; owns the gas station and a couple of small farms, one in which he lives. He is an OK guy, you can do business with him. This is the site you are looking at?”

“Yes. It seems like the place. I want it in town or near it; and with the parking spots needed this should be enough land easily. I will probably need to buy some land on the nearby taller hills for the Satellites. The wonks think we will need 2. They seem to think those two hills there and there would be best.” He pointed to them. “If we go into the courthouse can you spot them on the map for me?”

“I think so. James, you are going to have to tell me the whole story sooner or later.”

“I think for me later is better. But I do promise to tell you everything.”

“I guess I will have to accept that.”

They walked into the courthouse to the records section and were able to identify the plots. The Clerk was even more interested. But once again he was able to prevent him from seeing who they were writing down as names. Once outside Jennifer told him that the plots were owned by a couple of families that would be happy to sell. At this time James checked his watch.  
“They should have the report ready. I want you to come with me; you are my official area expert. We have to go to Tazewell.”

Jennifer looked at him suspiciously but got into the car and he headed off.

Sheriff Johnson got back to the Office to find his secretary, Ada, waiting.

“You were right sheriff; he is rich. He owns Wilkinson Investments; they are a big commercial investment firm that specializes in buying ailing companies. He has a clean record; no wants or warrants or anything. I called the state bureau and they are checking with the SEC, I should hear back soon. I am still waiting to find out more on Wilkinson himself. So far no marriage; his father died about 12 years ago, his mother died when he was 4. He graduated from Columbia business school with honors; that is from the company website that is very vague about a lot of things. Though it seems he has expanded the company his father left him big time.” Her phone rang and she picked it up. “Thank you.” She said and hung up. “He is clean as regards the SEC, and the states of Kentucky and Tennessee. He is based out of Washington, DC where he owns a mansion as well as the company HQ. It’s a privately owned company; it will take a while to get more details. But at a guess I would say if he is not a billionaire, he is not far off. So what is he doing in Sneedville?”

“He says he is opening up a business. Something about a customer service center; I could not quite hear it. Apparently he is giving credit to Jennifer Lowman; he just paid Jakes bail and court fine.”

“What do you think?”

“Too early to tell; but usually when something is too good to be true, it is.”

The drive took about 40 minutes, the road was clear, while not sunny the sky was fairly bright. They talked but did not say much; she was trying to find out more about him, and he was being a little vague.

“My mother died when I was 4, I barely knew her. Dad was a very tough businessman; a lot meaner than I have ever been. I took over the business when he died of a heart attack, which surprised a lot of people since the common wisdom was he had no heart. At his funeral it was me and his chief assistant and the funeral home personnel; no one else came and I was not surprised. I vowed then and there that I would not end up like that. The past 12 years I have greatly expanded the company and did it in a way that did not bury people like he did.”

Jennifer latched onto that. “You own the company? No wonder you do not have to ask permission. Just how rich are you?”

“Well there is part of your answer.”

Jennifer realized that they were at the Tazewell Municipal Airport. It was small; but on the runway was a large jet, blue colored, and in Green letters on the tale was “Wilkinson Investments.”

Jennifer felt her mouth drop open as he drove the car to the gate and showed his ID to the guard, who waved him through. He drove up to the Aircraft that had a few other cars parked nearby. He got out; Jennifer was still staring, dumbstruck at the jet.

Jennifer just could not think. That was a BIG jet; not something like she had seen on TV or in the movies that most rich businessmen rode it. This was a big jet; and she could tell that it was modified in some way; there were nowhere near as many windows along the side as other airliners she had seen. She felt her hand being tugged and obediently she got out of the car; and was led to the stairway leading up into the plane.

James had to smile at Jennifer; this was fun.  
“It was my idea to have a flying office. Makes it easier to do deals and it gives us an advantage in negotiations; if we do not like it we just take off.”

Jennifer looked around. There were desks and chairs and sofas; computers and so on. There were about half a dozen people working there. James led her to the back of the plane through another door that was clearly the main office; his office. He motioned her to sit down on the sofa while he checked his desk and the notes left there.

Jennifer was still dazed but now she was putting the pieces together. That suit; this plane. He had to be one of the richest men in the country, if not the world.

There was a knock on the door; a balding, average sized man stuck his head in. “Mr Wilkinson, we are ready when you are. We have everything you asked for; and also the data on the banks. Citizens is in some financial trouble; we should be able to get control easily; and from what we have seen so far the assets are worth it. First Century is a good deal as well, just not quite as good.”

James thought about it for a moment. “Start the proceedings to gain control. I want it done in a week if possible.”

“Yes Sir.” He left and closed the door behind him.

Jennifer looked at him, dazed. “You are going to buy both banks in town?”

“No, just controlling interest. This will come in handy, once we start the construction and the town expands.”

He walked over to her and took her hand; then led her out the door to the main area they had come into, then through another door where there was a small conference room. He took the chair at the head and positioned her right beside him. Rogers, 2 more men and 2 women, somewhat younger but all dressed in business suits, came in and sat down at the table.

“Jennifer this is George Rogers, my chief assistant; then there is Tom Washburn, Sid Alexander, Sarah Washington, and Lindsey Jones. Everybody this is Jennifer Lowman, who basically got me to think of the new business we are going to start. George, begin.”

“The proposal is to establish a Customer Service Center in Sneedville, Tenn. It will replace the ones currently used that are located in India. The various problems with that current situation was only exacerbated when the Internet cable connections were damaged in 2008. Added to the resentment many Americans have towards talking to foreigners about their problems, this looks like a very viable alternative. If this works out, it will certainly spread to other currently economically disadvantaged areas of the US. Not only will we get in on the ground floor of what could be an industry with thousands of jobs and worth billions of dollars, it will mean employing Americans to do jobs currently done over seas. Which will make it very politically popular. Tom here will outline the physical needs.”

“The physical needs are rather limited; a building that can house one hundred people working at desks with redundant and secure telephone capability. The building can be built for around $1 million dollars; the two satellites stations will cost about $500,000 each. Training will be minimal; startup costs also minimal.”

Rogers nodded. “Sid, describe the employment situation.”

“There will be no need for any extensive training; preliminary findings indicate that a wage of between $10-15 dollars and hour plus health benefits and a pension plan will make us competitively priced versus the current services in India, which have been getting steadily more expensive. And of course our advantages will allow us to charge somewhat more and still gain market share.”

Rogers motioned towards Sarah. “Sarah, what companies are we looking at to service?”

“Basically any company that does not do it themselves; any large consumer company; right now I have had preliminary discussions with several technical corporations such as Sun and AMD. Also Adobe and Java. We could very well have a huge waiting list quite soon.”

James looked at her. “Give me some numbers.”

“I think within one year we could have more than a dozen centers like this one and still not keep up with demand. Of course other companies will figure this out and compete; but we have the edge right now.”

He looked at Lindsey. “What other sites are you starting to look at- I know I just asked for this morning but do you have anything?”

“This part of the country is perfect for us. Kentucky, Tennessee, other parts of the mid-south. Anyplace currently depressed that has been that way for some years will have very low startup costs. I see no reason we could not establish 10 centers easily.”

Jennifer sat listening to this; astounded. What they were talking about was huge; it would help out the whole Appalachian area and others that had fallen behind the times.

James nodded slowly. “Anyone here see any problems?” There was silence.

“Very well let’s get a move on. I have identified the land we need to buy. Roger, get on that first. Then get the legal department looking into everything that we need to know about; communications, zoning, etc. Set up appointments this afternoon with both banks; I want them in our pockets right away. Tom, I want designs within a week. There is nothing fancy here, nothing needs to be original; just functional. Get arrangements to acquire all the technology necessary. Lindsey start having firm discussions. Sid, start writing up the employment plan. I want to start hiring in 3 months; I want this first center operating by the end of September. Sarah, get whoever you need to help you start finding other sites. We should probably start in this region and work our way outwards. For the time being we are not going to do any other business but this one; all other potential acquisitions and deals are now on hold. Everyone get moving.” He stood up and took Jennifer’s hand and led her back to his office.

Jennifer sat down on the sofa and looked at him.  
“I guess I can see why you are so successful. What do you need me for?”

James sat down at his desk. He decided that it was time to level somewhat.  
“I need you because I like having you at my side.”

Jennifer blinked at that. “I am no one; just a poor 17 year old high school senior.”

“Not to me and you are not just that. You are much more.” He got up to sit next to her on the sofa.

“Jennifer I dreamed of you last night. I want to see you; to put it in the old fashioned way I want to court you.”

Jennifer blushed and looked down. Very softly she said “I dreamed of you too.”

Knowing he could not rush this, he reached and clasped her hand. “Let’s start out slow and steady. We have all the time in the world. Now first thing is that you are going to get a new wardrobe since you are going to be right at my side and you need to look the part.”

“Where will we go?”

“Lindsey checked out a few places nearby that will do for a start.”

He then led her down out of the plane to another car; only this one was a limousine. They got in and he said to the driver “Joe, you have the list, take us to the first stop.”

That was at one; by three they were heading back to Tazewell, still in the limo. But now Jennifer was very well dressed in a business suit like the two women in the meeting. In the trunk of the Limo was a bunch of packages that had a complete wardrobe for her. All except some formal gowns; they could not be bought locally. Jennifer had almost fainted when told that they would come from New York City. It had been a surreal experience; the modest shops had fallen all over themselves to serve her when James had made it clear money was no object.

Right after the last clothing stop they went to the First Century Bank of Tazewell. The driver opened the door and Jennifer then James stepped out, drawing a fair crowd outside the bank. They walked in; James was not surprised to be met by Eleanor Yoakum, chairman of the Board.

“Mr. Wilkinson, Miss Lowman, the board is waiting.” She led them upstairs to the main boardroom where they were introduced. James brought out copies of the buyout proposal.  
“Here it is ladies and gentlemen. Our bid for controlling interest. We have no interest in changing current policies or practices. I am starting up new businesses in this area and I want to have firm control of the local banks.”

The Board members carefully read the proposal; it was very short, only three pages long. He looked around at them. “Any questions?” There were none. He stood up. “Then I leave it to you to discuss; I would like an answer in one week. Good Day.” He swept up Jennifer and out they went; it had only taken 15 minutes. They got into the Limo and headed towards Rogersville; that took over an hour to get there. The meeting there only lasted slightly longer. James looked at his watch; it was getting towards 5; so he ordered his driver to head for Sneedville. Jennifer giggled; and when he looked at her she smiled at him. “I can imagine the reaction of the town to seeing this Limo.” He grinned back at her; she had a lovely smile.

A few minutes later the phone rang and James answered it. “Yes? Well that is good. Quick work. So Mr Watson wants to meet me? Fine. How about at Cookies restaurant in one hour? Call me back if other arrangements need to be made.”

He looked at Jennifer. “We have bought the land for the satellite dishes; Mr Watson wants to meet me in person. Hopefully we can get that deal done today as well.”

Jennifer thought about them appearing as they were, in a limo, to Cookies. She giggled again and he knew what she was thinking. This could be fun.

It took them almost 30 minutes but they made it into Sneedville. When the Limo stopped outside the small restaurant, it immediately had all eyes on it. As he got out, James looked at the driver. “You probably will need to move around some; or you will gather a crowd. This should not take too long; we will have a quick bite to eat here; if you want hit the Subway- I know you like those foot longs. “The driver grinned at him and nodded. They went into Cookies.

Jennifer had to giggle again as Jessie stared at her with huge eyes, then James. She without a word took them to the large booth at the very rear. They quickly ordered; and the food was just as fast coming. They had just finished when a weather beaten man in his 50’s came up to them. James stood up.  
“Mr Watson? I am James Wilkinson; you know of course Ms Lowman. Please sit.” He then sat next to Jennifer while Sam moved opposite. James pulled out his folder and handed it to him.  
“Here is our offer on your land.”

He looked at it for a minute then looked at Jennifer. “Jenn, just what are you up to? Mr Fancy suit here looks like he wants to buy this town.”

Jennifer smiled at him. “He is going to open up a business that will employ over 100 people. He wants to use your land to build it on.”

“What business?”

“A customer service center; a place where people can call with their problems with various products and they will get someone to talk to. Right now most of them are in India and we want to start some here in the US so Americans can talk to other Americans.”

James smiled in pride. Jennifer was learning fast.

Sam thought about it for a moment then looked at James. “Jenn do you trust this city guy?”  
“Yes I do Sam. He is straight. I have been watching him the last couple of days and I think he is a good man.”

He nodded. “OK, I am sold.”

James pulled out a checkbook. “Just tell me how you want the check filled out; I will wait until you get it cleared before getting the deeds signed over.”

Sam pulled some papers out of his pocket. “If Jenn trusts you that is fine with me. Here are the titles; we can sign them right here. Then you just have to register them at the courthouse.”

James blinked but smiled and quickly filled out the check while Sam was signing the deeds over. He took the check and shook his hand. “I hope this works out; this whole area needs jobs badly.” Then he left. James put the papers in the folder and looked at Jennifer. “Ready to go?”  
Jennifer smiled at him. “Of course.” James left a $100 bill on the table and they walked out the door, stared at by the few people inside. Once outside James started to pull out his phone when the Limo pulled up. He grinned at the Driver. “You were watching.”  
“Of course, Boss.”

It took about 20 minutes to reach the Lowman farm. Her father came out and stared at the Limo as his daughter came out and got a number of bags from the trunk; assisted by the two men. He just stared as they were brought in and dropped off in the living room. Then James took Jennifer’s hand. “Well everything that needed to be done has been done; and I think you need some time to think about things.” He then pulled out a phone and handed it to her. “Here is a satellite phone like mine. It’s already programmed with any number you might need to get a hold of me or anyone in the company. We will be taking off again in about an hour or two. Just call me when you want to talk.” Then he hesitated; then pulled her close and gently kissed her. Then he walked out of the small house.

Jennifer stood there with what she knew was a stupid smile on her face. Then she sighed and faced her father.

Jake Lowman did not know what to think; but it was clear that that rich man fancied his daughter. And if that was not clear enough all the clothes she now had showed it.  
“Honey, are you sure you can trust him?”

“Dad he is rich. REALLY rich. He could have anyone he wanted – and he is choosing me. So yes I trust him. I did not tell you that he was the one that carried you drunk and passed out from the cabin to the car and into the house. He is a straight arrow; and I think I am already in love with him. But he is giving me time to think about it; not trying to rush me.

As the Jet took off to head back to Washington James thought about Jennifer; he really had no doubts himself. Despite knowing her only for two days he knew for a fact that she was the kind of a young woman a man had to be a total fool to let go of. He knew he needed to give her some time; but he was going to be persistent.

The next morning Jennifer was a little surprised to see her dad up early. He looked at her as she came down the stairs.  
“Use the truck today to take the kids and yourself to school. There are some things that need to be done around here that I have been neglecting. The factory will start work again tomorrow; but only 9 to 3, so you can use the truck and just pick me up; I can get a ride in with Clancy.”

Jennifer smiled at her father; pleased that he seemed to be on the move again. She went to him and hugged him.  
“I love you Daddy.”

“Hon, I have not been a real good father to you kids but I am going to try and do better. If your man’s idea works things will get a lot better around here.”

“I hope so daddy.”

Jennifer was just parking at the High School when she realized that there was a Posse waiting for her. Her best friends, Lydia White and Jessica Bowman were bearing down on her. Oh well, now for the third degree.

“Jenn! What is this I hear about you having a rich man on your string?”

“Yeah Jenn, dish the dirt! We heard about the limousine!”

“Guys, I got lucky and met him after I fell off of Jed and even luckier and helped him come up with an idea to start a real business in Sneedville. We got some money out of it and I got some nice clothes. What happens next is anyone’s guess.”

She would not say much more than that, no matter how they teased and tested her.

Back at the office, James was thinking. He called in George.

“I want to have Jennifer appointed as an agent for the corporation. Is her being 17 a real problem?”

“As long as she does not have to sign legal documents, no.”

“Good. Arrange for an office for her in one of the banks; they should have a couple to spare. Open up accounts at both banks and give her access to it. I have a hunch that she will need to run papers and the like around there; it’s not likely we can do business by phone and fax like we normally do here. Make it all very formal.”

“That is probably correct about needing someone there. We might have to send a full time staffer.”

“If we do we do. But I think she can handle it.”

Jennifer finally got away from her friends since she had an early day on Tuesday; she got off at 1:30. Wondering what she was going to do with the time until she needed to pick up the kids and her dad her phone went off.

“Jennifer? Just wanted to tell you that you are now a part time associate of Wilkinson’s Investments. There should be paperwork arriving at Citizens Bank within the hour; they are setting up an office for you there.”

“An associate? What will I be doing?”

“Probably seeing to it that papers get to who they are supposed to get to as regards right of way permits, zoning, and so on. You are going to have access to the accounts that we have set up in both banks; that is ready to go now so you might as well stop by. Anything that comes up that you can handle do it; if you cannot give me a call. Got a meeting about to start so I have to go. I know you can do it, Honey.”

Jennifer shook her head; wow. But a big smile came over her face.

An hour later she had bankbooks and check books from both accounts; she had been directed to take enough cash out to take care of incidental expenses. After some thinking she had withdrawn $100 for gas and things. Her office at citizen was not much, just a desk and chair and a computer that was being set up even as she looked it over. Taking a deep breath she headed over to pick up her father; the plant was about 5 miles away.

Jake was surprised at the big smile on his daughters face; so he asked what was up.

“James called about an hour ago. I am now a part time associate of Wilkinson’s Investments; I have an office in Citizens bank. I am basically going to see to it that paperwork needed to get things going gets to the right place. Try and head off any problems is possible; clear up ones that I can and if I cannot call James. He rang off before I could ask how much I am going to be paid but knowing James even this short time he does not scrimp on salaries.”

“I am so proud of you hon.”

“I really feel like I am doing something that will not only help my family but the whole county. I have felt so helpless sometimes.”

“I know the feeling hon.”

The next day at lunch she got a call; paperwork had arrived that needed to get to the City zoning commission, with copies for the County Zoning commission. It was at the Bank. She had study period right after so she wolfed down her lunch and headed out. She was able to get the paperwork dropped off and make it back to her 2PM class.

Thursday while looking at the plans she realized that underground cables had to be laid from the two hills into town; she called up James and asked them what they were going to do.

“I think someone forgot that detail; let me talk to Ted and the lawyers and get back to you; meantime see who we might have to negotiate with; who owns the land between the hills and the town.”

“Class gets off at 2, so I can head into the courthouse. I should be able to get you the details by 5 at the latest.”

“Call me whenever you find out.”

Jennifer took a good look at the terrain; then went into the courthouse and checked the deeds. Luckily there would be only one person to go to for each side. She called James with that by 3.

“Good work Jenn. Rogers is having the lawyers email you the necessary right of way permission documents. Print them out and see what kind of deal you can get done; whatever it takes. The instructions are with them; once the deal is done the signatures have to be notarized. Then filed at the courthouse as addendums to the property titles.”

Friday Jennifer, being a last semester senior, had been able to arrange her schedule so that she would be off by noon. She knew both families that owned the land and had called them up Thursday evening to see them about business. Like everyone else they had heard of the new business starting and wanted to see things get done. So she was able to see one at 1 PM, had a deal and had it notarized and filed by 230, saw the second at three and got that deal done by 4. She called James about it once it was all done.

“Good work Jenn. That should be the last of the paperwork for a while; at least for the business. Both Banks have accepted our buyouts; so we will be finalizing the documents in the next week. I will be down for that. Probably Tuesday.”

Jennifer took a deep breath. “Will you be able to stay for a while?”

“Even better will you be able to come with me to Washington via New York City?”

Jennifer was quiet for a moment. “What do you mean?”

“I mean I promised you a fancy dress and a New York City one to boot. There is a rather posh party that I have agreed to attend; in Washington DC. I want you on my arm looking gorgeous.”

“When is the party?”

“Tuesday night. I plan to have all the signings done that morning; then we fly to NYC on the Gulfstream and get your dress; then fly to DC for the Party. I promise to get you back before dawn. Probably one or two.”

“OK” she said in a small, scared voice.

“Jennifer, if this is too much too soon just let me know.”

She took a deep breath. “NO it’s not; just that this is a big thing for a small town girl like me.”

“I know but you will enjoy it. It’s not like I am the guest of honor or anything like that. We will just mingle for a while then cut out.”

Relieved she nodded. “OK I am fine with it. Call me when you know.”

“Of course I will honey.”

Now she was nervous.

James put down the phone and looked at the jewelry presented to him. He picked the ring that had first jumped out at him. “This is the engagement ring. These will be the wedding rings.” He thought about it. “These are earrings for her; this string of pearls, and these bracelets as well.”

The weekend was actually quiet and Jennifer was grateful; she needed some alone time to just think. Saturday afternoon she saddled Nell and rode up into the hills to a secluded spot she liked to go to; it was shielded from the wind but exposed to the sun so that it was reasonably warm; and she had taken a thick blanket with her. She let Nell graze a little while she sat and thought about the huge changes her life had taken in just a little over a week.

She knew it was happening way too fast but her own doubts were gone; she loved James and wanted to be with him. She understood her life would totally change; she would be doing business and going to fancy parties; she had a hunch he had a fancy mansion as well. She could make sure her family was taken care of; and she wanted to help other poor communities advance like she knew Hancock County was about to. The upcoming party would be the time she would let him know she was all his. This scared her a little, but excited her more. She daydreamed until light started to fade then went home. Dad had been acting a lot better; she hoped it lasted. As she put Judy down the little moppet hugged her and sleepily said “Night mommy.” As almost always when she did that a tear came to her eyes. She realized she could not let these kids go; they were her own just as if she had given birth to them. If she went to DC then they did to.

James called Monday evening to let her know to be at the bank in a business suit at 9. They would sign that deal first and then go to First Century in Tazewell. Then they would fly to New York City where a designer gown would be waiting for her to be fitted. The girlish part of Jennifer squealed with glee.

It was a little strange to be in the old beat up pickup in a fairly expensive business suit but Jennifer could care less; she dropped off the kids and Father at work and headed to town. She got in at 850 and parked the truck outside the bank and went into it using her key to get to her office. The Bank President was already there and greeted her.

“Miss Lowman; I take it Mr Wilkinson will be here soon.”

“He said he would be here by 9. As a matter of fact there is his Limo.” And she immediately went out to greet him.

James smiled as Jennifer came close and he gave her a quick kiss and put his arm around her as he went in followed by Rogers carrying the papers. The all moved into the branch manager’s office where Rogers laid out the documents.

James wanted this done ASAP so that he could take Jennifer to NYC. “As agreed here it is.” And that quickly it was done; handshakes all around and they went to the Limo. Sitting in the back with Rogers and James, Jennifer asked  
“Were there any changes?”

Rogers answered. “Nothing substantial Miss Lowman. The other documents for First Century have even fewer changes.”

It took almost 40 minutes to get to the Tazewell HQ of First Century. But luckily it went just as fast there and they headed to the Tazewell Airport where a much smaller Gulfstream Jet awaited them, but it was also painted and marked as the larger one was. Jennifer looked around; it was small and cozy and she sat down and buckled her seat belt for her first ever plane ride. It only took a little over an hour and a half to get to NYC. They landed at La Guardia and another Limo was waiting for them while Rogers took one to head back to DC by car. The very expensive looking boutique they stopped in front of intimidated Jennifer; but James was right by her side holding on to her while they walked in the unobtrusive door.

Jennifer was entranced by the gown; black silk; with a simple scoop neckline and silky shiny straps. The little couturier and her assistant bounced around her.

“You are not skinny; that is good; this dress is not for skinny girls. Let’s measure your shoe size; we have the slippers right here. Oh you will need different underwear; but we have plenty. Let’s take you back to see what you like.”

James would have liked to watch the underwear choosing but had to sit and wait. In about an hour Jennifer carefully walked to him; she was not experienced in high heels. The dress had a slit that showcased beautiful sheer black stocking clad legs. A hairdresser had done a quick bit of work on her hair and it was piled up on her head; she looked regal and lovely.

Jennifer looked into the mirror and almost did not recognize herself; this could not be Jennifer Lowman, 17, high school senior at little podunk Sneedville High. This woman was clearly someone used to the high life.

James almost groaned; he wanted to grab Jennifer and ravish her right there; this was going to be a hard night to not just take and devour. Then he smiled as he brought forward the jewelry cases.

Jennifer saw them and if anything her eyes grew larger. First came the diamond ear rings; he carefully put them on; then the lovely string of pearls; then beautiful diamond band bracelets; the little couturier was cheering him on. Then somehow knowing the time was right he took out a last box and set Jennifer down in the chair he had been in. Then he went down on one knee and opened the box.  
“Jennifer, will you marry me?”

The couturier and her assistant both sobbed. Jennifer somehow did not cry.

“Of course I will James.”

Then he slid on the platinum band with the blue sapphires that glinted just like the tears in her beautiful blue eyes. And then he thoroughly kissed her. Then they left and got into the limo, back to the airport, back into the jet and off to DC.

Snuggled next to James, Jennifer kept admiring her engagement ring. He nuzzled her head. “I was not going to give it to you yet, but I could not wait to claim you as mine. I wanted everyone at this party to know you belong to me.”

That sent a frissom of something Jennifer had never felt right through her. She just smiled and cuddled closer.

The party was at a major Hotel in DC; Jennifer forgot to ask which one, not that it mattered. They came into the main ball room and just mingled; Jennifer said very little but just held onto James’s arm; he looked very good in the formal dress suit that was not quite a tuxedo; she had not even noticed when he had changed at the boutique. They did not actually meet anyone; not until they had been there more than an hour. Then James spotted someone and led her to meet an older couple that looked a little familiar somehow.

“Jennifer this is Senator Lieberman and his wife; Joe, this is my Fiancé Jennifer Lowman.”

“James you dog. What a lovely young fiancé. Where is she from?”

“The backwoods of Tennessee Senator; I found a lovely flower in the wilderness and by a stroke of magic she decided she would agree to marry me about two hours ago.”

Luckily Jennifer did not have to say much because she was tongue tied anyway. They were a nice couple and after a while he had to leave; they said goodbye and James looked at her.  
“Ready to go?”

“Yes.”

And so they did. It was only 9 PM, but the jet was waiting and they got back to Tazewell Airport by 11. And the Limo got them to the farm by 12. James very strongly kissed her and she slowly wound her way into the house.

Jake had been waiting up; when Jennifer came in he could have sworn a royal princess was in his little living room.  
“Oh, Honey, I wish your Mother could see you now; you look like the princess she always called you. Good lord, are those real pearls and diamonds?”

Jennifer was stunned; she had forgotten them and so had James clearly; she had read of rental jewels before. She quickly fished the small hand bag that had come with the gown and got out her phone.

“James! What do I do with all this jewelry? WHAT! Oh. Oh. I had a lovely time, you know that. I will talk to you tomorrow.”

Jake was looking at her hand. She saw it and smiled a smile so bright the house lit up.  
“James asked me to marry him tonight. And those diamonds and everything else are mine; he said I would be wearing them often in the future at other formal affairs.”

Jake was stunned, proud and saddened. His little girl was grown up and about to get married. Where had all the time gone? He carefully hugged her.

“I can see how happy you are. I just hope you stay this happy all your life.”

“I do too daddy.”

She was very careful taking off the gown and hanging it in her closet; the jewelry she put in the top drawer of her dresser; the ring she kept on. It was not coming off until the wedding, she vowed.

Needless to say the ring was seen early the next day at school. Her friends were over the moon and wanted to know when the wedding was.

“I was just asked yesterday evening so I still have to figure that all out.”

“How did he do it?”

Jennifer who had been glowing proceeded to shine even brighter. “Right after he had loaded me down with diamonds and pearls and an incredible dress by a New York Designer, he set me down on a chair and kneeled down on one knee and asked me to marry him; just like in all the great romance novels.”

All the females present sighed in envy.

Shaking her head a little, Jennifer smiled at her friends. “But now I have to think about the wedding. Big or small; formal or informal. And the Dress.”

Lydia and Jessica both sounded in concert “The Dress.”

For the next day every chance they got to get together they made plans and debated possibilities. Jennifer was of the opinion that James would have no problem having the wedding at the Sneedville Baptist Church in Sneedville; it was pretty big and her family had gone there for a long time. Besides, Pastor Jones was a really nice man and a popular preacher. Once that was agreed on then came the important thing: The DRESS. Jessica maintained that any notes on the DRESS needed to be capitalized so that no one would get them confused. Jennifer giggled at that; she realized that she missed being with her friends and doing girly stuff.

She checked in everyday at her little office but things had been quiet; the plans were at the Zoning Commission and all the right of way details and such were taken care of. One problem was that since she was an associate of Wilkinson’s Investments people were starting to think that her office would be the place to start as regards looking for a job. After talking to Rogers, she had been sent an employment questioner and she had the bank post them in the lobby; people needed to fill them out then drop them in the Box next to her office. With instructions from the front office, she weeded out the possibilities. One firm requirement was that the person had to speak well and clearly; some of those applying did not; Jennifer knew most of them. However there would be some other jobs there besides answering phones so she put them aside for consideration for those positions. An idea she had was to do phone interviews with those who wanted those jobs; to see how they sounded on the phone. James had been very proud of her for thinking of that; since sometimes people sounded a lot different on the phone then they did in person.

James meanwhile was deep in the details of the new business they were opening. So far there had been no delays or snags; this whole process had started March 15; and by the end of March things were well on their way. The basic plans for the building had been brought forward and were being looked at; the Satellite stations were standard items so no problem there. There was more than sufficient electricity available so that was good. They only really needed water and sewer access for a few bathrooms so that was not a concern. Now one thing that had been brought up was making sure that workers could get access to the building in all weather; snow was not common or in great amounts; but rain was and many times a lot of the roads could be impassible. The thought here was to invest in a few vehicles that would be able to get the people to the job site no matter what the conditions. James had an idea and they had been able to get some SnowCats, used but in good condition. Tracked vehicles that did as well in mud as they did in snow. Each could haul up to 20 people. 5 were procured; also some used small busses. So a garage and repair facility would be needed. It was pointed out that they could do private work as well. So a truck and heavy vehicle repair service could be built. Something that was also needed for that area. And would provide more jobs. A kind of bus service could be rolled into it as well. It was decided to buy more land in town for the building of all of this. The building plus parking lot would still leave enough room for a good sized garage that could be used to work on vehicles and a parking area for them as well. 5 Acres would be just enough to do it. The costs though had now risen from $1.8 Million to over $2.5 million. On the other hand some of the initial expenses were not as high as originally forecast, so savings would come in other areas.

James had called Jennifer and let her know that there would be a garage and vehicles that would also be on the site; and that they would need mechanics and drivers. It had been decided to divide the building into 25 rooms; each room would have a cubicle work station with 4 people working there. 2 from each shift. That left enough room so that they could double the number of people working there just by adding another cubicle to each room. With the tremendous capacity that the satellite linkage gave them, they could easily handle 200 phone conversations at a time. And James quietly told her that their original idea of 100 operators would probably expand soon. Jennifer was glad to hear of this; the more jobs available the better for the entire area.

Jennifer was also beginning to get questions from the officials of Hancock County and Sneedville; they all wanted to know what was happening and when. She became adept at placating them and explaining that nothing happened over night; but that they would be hiring before the end of the year easily. That and other questions kept her busy; so when she checked her personal bank account, which had been set up at the same time as the company ones, she was astounded to find out that a weekly deposit of $500 was going in. And that was net after all federal and state taxes and the like had been taken out. she called James.

“James. What are these checks coming into my personal checking account?”

“You do remember becoming an associate for Wilkinson’s Investments, right?”

“Part time associate.”

“And that is what you are doing. But you are probably spending 2-4 hours a day a week on company business, right?”

“I guess so.”

“So 20 hrs a week would probably be close?”

“Yeaahh.”

“A beginning associate for Wilkinson’s Investments makes $80,000 a year. You are part time so that is $40,000 a year. Which after taxes and all that comes to about $500 a week. So there you are.”

Jennifer was quiet for a moment. “I do not earn that really.”

“Yes you do Hon. You are the point man for a whole new business there; and you have been doing a wonderful job. AND that is not just my opinion; George thinks so as well and he is NOT a kissup. So park any guilt you have at the door. In my world there would be some that think you are actually underpaid. Gotta meeting coming up, love you hon.”

Jennifer slowly put her phone away. She knew that James would claim a meeting in order to avoid talking about some things; it was a habit that would end when they were married, that she was determined of. But a small smile graced her face; George Rogers was definitely not someone that kissed up to the boss; so maybe she was actually earning this money.

She left the small office with a spring in her step; she now had money to buy some things that she needed; that the family needed. Even with Dad now working at the factory, money was tight. She immediately went to the teller and drew out $200; she had some shopping to do and the Family Dollar store just down the block was the place to go. The kids needed some new clothes and she would pick them up from school and go right there; Judy too.

The kids were very happy to get new clothes and new shoes; and some light coats as well. Judy was her usual adorable self; Jennifer never could imagine meeting a sweeter little girl in her life. She got the kids a few toys as well; and a football for little Jake, along with a baseball glove. Little Jake asked her where the money was coming from. She smiled at him “My job helping James get that business in Sneedville started.” She blew almost the whole $200 but it did not bother her at all. James splurging on her had her completely outfitted.

James actually did have a meeting; it just was not for another hour. But he felt a little uncomfortable when Jennifer tried to thank him. He was head over heels in love with her, but he knew her independence and pride made it hard to accept things from him even if he was her fiancé. Which brought something else to mind; she needed a vehicle of her own. But what to get her? With that area like it was, some kind of truck or four wheel drive would be best. Something with good ground clearance and cargo space, but still able to carry more than a couple of people. The old pickup that her family had was not in bad shape and ran well, but it was small to haul around more than 2. The back area, really only a bench, was not safe for the kids when her father was with her. He had been in the area enough to know that a pickup truck with a crew or club cab would be best. But he knew she would not be happy with a fancy one. And getting her to accept it would not be easy; he would have to make it a part of the job… that was it; a company vehicle. The company LOGO would be on it and therefore it should be OK.

One of the debates going on in the office was what to call the service center; to spin it off as its own company or what. Since plans were already under way to build more such centers, this was a serious consideration. Something Wilkinson’s investments had never done. He decided a conversation with George was a good idea; he got up and headed for George’s office. The company HQ was a two story building of nondescript office type construction; his father had built it to be as inexpensive as possible while doing what needed to be done. James had it remodeled a few years ago. Wilkinson’s Investment’s only had 30 full time employees, counting the crews for the jets and drivers, etc. Scouting teams consisting of 4-6 people were usually out checking out future projects using both jets. The Gulfstream was good for slipping in for advance scouting, while the big one was for real business.

George Rogers looked up as his boss came in; he put down his work since he knew he would not get any done until he was gone. Sighing with long standing patience he leaned back as James paced his office.

“OK, boss, what’s up?”

“We have no real choice but to set up a separate company for the centers, do we?”

“Nope. But then you knew that; I am guessing you are wondering whether to keep them or sell them off.”

“Pretty much. I am more and more coming to the conclusion that I want to keep them; and build other businesses and keep them. Basically adding a whole new division to the firm. Investments and something else. Wonder what we should name it?’

None of this surprised him; he figured meeting Jennifer had something to do with it, but he also knew this had been percolating in James mind for some time.  
“Industries? That covers a broad spectrum and matches up well with investments.’

James thought about it for a moment. “So be it. So now we need to start the organization for Wilkinson Industries, a division of Wilkinson Enterprises. How is that?”

“Probably need to check that the name is not already in use but sounds good to me. I take it that Wilkinson Industries will be the umbrella, with the other ones under it?”

“Yes. Now what to name the service centers?”

“Sid had an idea; how about calling them Personal Service Centers. I checked and nothing is using that name at this time.”

James considered that. “Personal Service Center, Sneedville, what? Unit, Section, division?

“Sneedville Section.”

“I like it. Personal Service Center, Sneedville Section; a company of Wilkinson’s Industries, a division of Wilkinson’s Enterprises.”

“I can see nothing wrong with that.”

“So let it be written so let it be done.” And he walked out, leaving George shaking his head.

Heading back to his office James felt better for the decisions he had just made. Now to find out what would be the best truck to get Jennifer? He went online and began to look at various makes and models.

George sighed and buzzed Sid. “Ok the boss has just reorganized everything; get everyone together and I will let them know what’s going on. He liked your name for the service centers so that is what they are going to be called. And we are keeping them; a new division will be formed to handle Wilkinson Industries, a division of Wilkinson Enterprises, like Wilkinson Investments.”

“Wow. That is some big changes.”

“I think this is just the beginning.”

After a couple of hours, interrupted by the meeting that had expanded to explain the changes, James had decided on a Dodge Ram 1500 Crew Cab with a short bed. 4 wheel drive of course, and raised some for higher ground clearance. Larger tires for better mud performance. Dark blue since he knew Jennifer liked that color; and it matched her eyes. He then called his senior limo driver to have him check the nearest dealer. He called back in only an hour and informed James that one was in Middlesboro, exactly as was wanted. James looked at the clock; it was 430. He got the number of the dealer.

“Yes Mr Wilkinson. We have the vehicle you requested right here; the tires and everything; it was ordered but canceled at the last moment. It’s sitting right on our lot.”

“OK. Can you get it to Sneedville, Tennessee tonight and deliver it?”

“Well that is pretty short notice sir.”

“Sticker price as it is and $5000 extra if you can get it done. And can this logo be painted on the door?” He then described the logo and would fax it to them.

“I think we can manage that. How will you pay?”

“Let my accountant talk to your money man and we can direct deposit the money.”

“Here is his number sir.”

Jennifer had just finished the dishes and was looking forward to sitting down and relaxing the rest of the evening when her phone rang. It was James.

“What’s up Honey?”

“Can’t a man just call up his lovely fiancé just too sweet talk her?”

“I guess that is allowable. But you are up to something.”

“Guilty as charged. There will be something arriving for you in the next hour; it’s company owned but you will have it full time since its assigned to you. It’s the name of the company that we are going to call the service center. I have decided that Wilkinson Investments will now become part of Wilkinson Enterprises, while another division of Wilkinson Enterprises will be Wilkinson Industries. Personal Service Center, Sneedville Section will be the one there.”

Jennifer thought about all of that; James was making some big changes. “Sounds like we need to have a talk about what’s going on; but what is arriving?”

“Something you need and will like; and it’s also going to help with the company as well. Like I said company owned but you will have exclusive use. Bye honey.”

Jennifer narrowed her eyes as she put the phone away. They were definitely going to have a talk.

She had been sitting lazily reading a bride’s magazine that one of the girls had found and had given her; so far she had not seen a dress she really liked; but she had time. The sound of a vehicle on the driveway made her take a look out the window. 2 vehicles actually. What was this?

Half an hour later Jennifer was still staring as the other vehicle with the two men in it left. Sitting in the driveway was a brand new Dodge pickup truck; dark blue, or at least that was what the title said, crew cab, four wheel drive and large tires, which were a good thing to have in this area. On the front doors on both sides in white letters was “Personal Service Center, Sneedville Section.” She had the keys in her hand and the vehicle title showed it was registered to Wilkinson Investments. Her father was looking it over as was the other kids.

“This is a good truck hon. You will be able to get around without having to worry about picking me up; I can take the old pickup to work. And you will have to work at it to get stuck with those tires on it.”

Dazedly Jennifer nodded. But a nice warm feeling for her guy made her smile softly.

The next day she was glad that the logo was on the doors; it helped her explain that it was a company vehicle. She was also able to tell everyone the name of the company now. She loved the color and the interior; she wondered if that was luck or a good hunch on James part. And it certainly had no trouble with the mud around Sneedville.

The reorganization of Wilkinson Investments got started the next day. Various positions were debated and decided on; and a couple of the associates were designated to start head hunting the necessary supervisors and managers. The necessary training for the workers was also being looked at; luckily there were plenty of examples to be looked over. It was thought that only a week would be needed to train them in the basics; but it would take more depending on what they were going to service. The various companies that were already signing up to be serviced were sending their technical manuals in already; if the questions could not be answered by the manuals then the calls would be transferred to that companies own technical experts. Experience had shown that upwards of 90% of all calls could be handled using the manuals. It was decided on the advice of some consultants just hired to have both electronic and hard copy manuals; the electronic ones could be searched easier, but sometimes the hard copies were better.

One thing that had been debated was whether to have terminals or instead use standalone computers. After looking at the expenses involved it was found that stand alone computers with a LAN setup would be best. Another thing that had been agreed on was that this was for technical and operational service only; nothing financial. No one wanted a part of that can of worms. Buying volume allowed a very good deal to be made; HP got the contract to build and service the systems. They would have one person full time available to take care of technical problems; and one to take care of software problems. It had been decided to rent some apartments in Sneedville for the technical experts. Not many would be needed, less than half a dozen; then someone looked at the property and noticed that there would be enough room to build a small living quarters for half a dozen people; but that was vetoed since no one really wanted to get into that area and it was not felt to be needed. Not to mention someone muttered about the people of that area starting to talk about a company town; not something that was desired. The banks that had been brought under control were now starting to get business connected with the service center; already earth moving equipment was starting to level the ground for the beginning of the building foundations and the parking lots. An area construction company had been contracted to build everything; so that business was kept as local as possible.

Jennifer looked at the bulldozers leveling out the ground where the center would be built; not that it would take much; that area was fairly level anyway. The time of year would be good by the date set for laying concrete, the end of April. Warm enough so that there would not be any problems with concrete drying. Though it would need to be covered against rain. By the middle of May the actual construction of the main buildings would start; to be finished by the end of August. The relatively simple construction and needs allowed a quick finishing time. With the parking lots set to be done by the middle of September. They hoped to have the center up and running by 1 October. She looked up at the two hills where the satellite dishes and stations would be built; the foundations there were already being dug. They would be done first, by the end of May. Negotiations with the communications company had been finished; that was all ready to go as well. Jennifer marveled that so much had been done in less than a month. The main office had given her a table of organization for the corporation; and for the center. It had been decided that there would need to be 10 drivers for the vehicles and 6 mechanics; plus one manager. The snowcats would double as plows if necessary. There would be right at 100 operators, 50 to a shift; though that number would almost certainly increase in the next year. There would be a shift manager and an assistant shift manager for each group. The technical experts would be separate from everything; they would be employed by the companies. A janitor and service crew of 6 would also be hired; and one overall supervisor for the company who would have a small staff. It was being debated where he would be officed. Though Jennifer was sure that there was enough room to rough out offices for them in the main building. The Garage part of the service center would be somewhat separate as it would also service the community as a truck and heavy equipment garage. Already the local school board was looking at changing their contract from a Tazewell garage to Service Center; rates and overall expenses would be lower and that meant a lot to a relatively poor school system like Hancock County schools. The city was thinking of doing the same thing; once again it would save the city money and have the service site right there instead of 30 or more miles away. It was expected that the county would follow suit. Jennifer had found herself involved in the preliminary negotiations when the City Public Works director came into her office the other day.

Joe Wilson had known Jennifer her whole life; he was good friends with her father. So he did not stand on ceremony when he had come into her little office only a week ago.

“Jennifer; I hear your company is going to open up a full service heavy equipment and vehicle garage as part of the Service Center. Rumor has it that they will also be doing other work besides the company vehicles. I would like to find out what their supposed rates are; I think we can do better than the Tazewell garage we have been using; and its right here instead of more than 30 miles away.”

Jennifer slowly nodded. “Yes that has been agreed on; I am surprised you found out about this so fast.”

“Come on Jennifer. You know how fast word spreads here in the hills. A word here and there and its all out for everyone to pick over. Just how big an operation is being planned?”

“Well some snowcats, a couple of medium school bus types and a couple of full sized school busses. And some other heavy equipment as needed. Almost certainly some cars and trucks as well. Making sure the people can get to work is critical for the business we are going to do. Hang on; let me call the main office and get the details; I know they are still debating how big to be. If the City wants to have us service their equipment, I can guess that the School system and the County will follow.”

“If your rates are good you can bet on it; having the services right here would save on gas alone. And for heavy vehicles that is a big issue; not to mention not having to transport busted trucks to Tazewell which is REALLY expensive.”

Jennifer was on the phone. “George? Listen I have the Sneedville Public Works head here; he wants to know what rates we will charge for service on vehicles. This could be a real consideration; we might get the County and the School system contracts as well. Right now they are with a Tazewell company which raises transportation costs way out there compared to right here in town. OK. I am glad you did that; that will help. Could you get him now? Thanks. I will be waiting for his call.”

She looked at Joe. “They just hired the guy to run the place; he will be hiring the mechanics and drivers. He has worked in garages with that kind of fleet work before. So he knows what’s what.”

Rob Willow was very glad to leave his last employment; his boss had been an idiot only there due to being the owners nephew. Covering up for his mistakes was a real pain; this job looked like a good thing. While Sneedville was in the sticks, he did not mind. There was a girl he was thinking of getting serious about and she liked the country. Middlesboro was getting a little too developed for his liking. Besides this was a fresh start, running his own garage. He looked up as George Rogers, the assistant to Wilkinson, came into the temporary office he had just been given. He was already contacting some good mechanics he knew; mostly younger guys who would not mind moving. He also had the numbers of some living around Sneedville that had to commute; this would be great for them. He hoped to hire half and half. The drivers he figured he could get locally around Sneedville as well.

“Rob, I have Jennifer Lowman on the phone. The Sneedville Public works chief is in her office and he wants to know about rates. We might be able to get that contract; Jennifer thinks we could get the entire public works contract for the whole county. Do you have a good idea for rates yet?”

He thought for a moment and then looked at his notes. He looked at Rogers. “We do not have to pay for maintenance of the buildings or equipment or utilities, right?”

“That is correct. You will only have to figure in the actual mechanics wages and that is all; parts are done on as needed basis right?”

“Yep. I have the rates right here. We will pay the Mechanics $20 an hour plus benefits; practically speaking that will work out to $30 an hour. I am willing to bet they are paying more than that.”

“Here is her number; she is waiting for your call.”

Rob thought a minute as Rogers left. He knew who Jennifer was; the fiancé of the big boss himself. So he knew to be a little careful here. He dialed the number.

Jennifer took the call; a little surprised since only 10 minutes had passed. She and Joe had been talking about the changes that were coming; Joe told her that this was the best thing that had ever happened to this county and would make a huge difference in the life of people around Hancock County. “Personal Service Center, Jennifer speaking. Hello. Hang on a minute I will put you on speaker phone- if I can figure out how to work it” Luckily Joe did and showed her.  
“Can you hear me clearly?”

“Yes we can Rob. This is Joe Wilson, Sneedville Public Works director. He has known me all my life and is a good friend of my father. Rob Willow is the new head of our maintenance facility for vehicles for Personal Service Center, Sneedville Section.”

“Hi ya Joe. As regards rates we are looking at $30 dollars an hour. Parts are of course extra. We will have our own tow and wrecker so we can also bring the vehicles in. Will probably also have a large transporter as well. So we should be able to service everything you have with the exception of really heavy equipment like bulldozers and earth movers.”

“That sounds real good Rob. The rates on the towing and moving service; what will they be?

“$30 as well. That will be our standard rate.”

“That is a fair amount less than we are paying now and transportation and fuel costs will be less as well. Our contract is up at the end of September. Will you be up and running by then?”

Rob looked at the calendar. “We should be. The garage will be finished by the beginning of August; the equipment and accessories can be brought in by the end of August; I see no reason why we cannot be operating sometime in September.”

Joe sat back. This was even better than he had hoped. They could save thousands per year this way; money that was badly needed elsewhere. “OK I will talk to the city council; and I can just about guarantee you will be hearing from the County Public works people and the School board. We can all save a lot of money here. We will solicit a formal bid pretty darn soon I can tell you.”

“Good to hear. I guess you can get all that paperwork, Jennifer?”

“Well since I am right here in town that should be no problem. As soon as they get me the solicitation I will get it to you. Be talking to you, Rob.”

She shut off the phone and looked at Joe who was grinning widely. He gave her a big hug and headed out the door. “Got to let the Mayor know; he will be almost as happy as I am. The money this will save will really help out around here. I will let you know as soon as we get the show on the road, Jenn.” And he walked out the door with a spring in his step. Jennifer smiled; more good news for the people around here. Then she thought of something; she checked the employment questioners; she had spotted a couple of mechanics in there. She found them and noted their names; then scanned in their resumes and emailed them to the main office to the attention of Rob Willow.

Rob saw the email on his computer screen; and he checked it. Jennifer had forwarded him 3 possible mechanics who lived around Sneedville. He looked at their backgrounds and thought that at least two of them would be possibilities. He already had three he knew who were interested. The wages he would be paying, added to a good benefit and health plan, would almost certainly be better than what they were getting now. He emailed her back asking to look for people who might make good drivers.

Jennifer thought about that; she knew she needed to find out about driving records. She chewed her lip then grabbed her coat. She closed up her office; it was almost 3 anyway; she had just enough time to make a stop before picking up the kids from school.

Sheriff Johnson was looking over some paperwork when his intercom buzzed. “What is it Ada?” “Jennifer Lowman would like to talk to you. Do you have a minute?” “Anything to get away from paperwork, you know that Ada.” “I know but it’s my job to ask.” “Send her in.”

He got up as Jennifer came in. The change in her was just as big as the changes coming to Hancock County; she was much better dressed, happy and had a decided bounce to her step. The very fancy engagement ring on her finger was only part of the story; Jennifer had shown herself to be quite a young lady in the last month; and no one had any doubt that the reason for things looking so much better was her. He had very carefully checked out James Wilkinson and he had yet to find anyone with a real bad word about him; though the same could not be said about his father; who would have shamed an old time robber baron. It was very clear that the son was nothing like the father.

“What’s up Jennifer?”

Jennifer sat down and chewed her lip a little. Then she decided to just come out with it.  
“Sheriff, we are going to be hiring some bus drivers and other drivers. I want to hire locals, but I need to know if they are good drivers. I know what might be on someone’s record is not a real sign of how good or bad a driver is. So could you help me out?”

The Sheriff sat back and thought. This might skate the privacy laws some, but as long as he did it no one else needed to know. Jennifer could be counted on to keep quiet about it. His deputies could be asked as well; so that way they would have a good idea. He looked at her. ”Just give me a list of names and I will let you know.”

Jennifer beamed at him then pulled a slip of paper out of her pocket. “Here are the ones we have so far; we will need ten in all. A few will have to have their commercial licenses, but most will not. The others can try and get one later; we will pay for the training and expenses. I just want good drivers.”

He took the slip of paper and put it on his desk. “You will know in a day or two.”

Jennifer hopped up and smiled at him. “‘Thanks Sheriff.” And bounced out the door.

Jennifer went home, thinking about things in general. James had not been by in a week; the reorganization of the whole corporation was taking up most of his time. She actually needed the alone time to think and make preparations. She smiled at the last talk they had had just the day before.

“Hon, do you have a date in mind for the wedding?”

“Probably June. I would like to wait until after graduation.”

“Oh, all right. But it’s hard waiting; a starving man looking at a huge feast is nothing on me.”

Jennifer had blushed; her own feelings not far from that either.  
“It’s the same for me. But I want to do everything right. I still have not found the right dress.”

“You want to have it in Sneedville?”

“I have already talked to the Pastor of the Baptist church in town; it’s pretty big. I have known Pastor Jones all my life; you will like him. He told me he would hold the second Saturday in June open; that is a week after graduation. Is that ok?”

“I will mark it in red on all company calendars so everyone will know.”

Jennifer giggled. “That’s good to know.”

Jennifer checked the mail when she got in; there was a big magazine there. She looked at it; it was Modern Bride and it was huge. She bet that James had sent it. Well she would be looking at it tonight and take it with her to school tomorrow so that Lydia and Jessica would look at it. She had already decided they would be her bridesmaids. So the wedding party would not be that big; which reminded her; they had to look for bridesmaid dresses as well.

After the dishes were done Jennifer took out the magazine; then remembered something and dropped it on the sofa. When she came back the magazine had fallen open; and was showing a dress. It was a strapless wrap type; the model showing it looked a lot like Jennifer did. It had a short train and a beautiful veil. The smooth material looked lovely. The more Jennifer looked at it the more she knew this was the DRESS.

Jessica and Lydia agreed; it was the DRESS. It was made by a very high brow bridal boutique in Boston. And on the next page was a wedding party with that dress and it also had the Bridesmaid dresses; they were lilac and lovely; Jessica and Lydia went gooey over them. Jennifer felt as if a huge weight had lifted; she now knew where and when and the dresses were taken care of. She had study hall with them 3rd period and once they had agreed on the dresses she called James.

“I have found the DRESS and even better bridesmaid’s dresses. As a matter of fact it describes great wear for the entire wedding party. Now I know you sent this magazine to me so you will have no excuse for not matching everything. Just to be sure it’s Modern Bride, April edition. On page 167 and 168 is everything you need. They are made in Boston.”

James smiled; he had hoped that magazine would get results. He wrote down the date of the magazine; he would send someone out to get another and then start making appointments. He remembered something.

“Don’t you have time off from school next week?”

“Teachers conference next Monday.”

“Let’s see if we can arrange for you and your bridesmaids to go to Boston for the fittings.”

Jennifer took a deep breath. “OK.”

“I will have someone get right on it.”

A little dazed Jennifer put down the phone. Her friends were looking at her closely.  
She looked at them and smiled. “Feel like going to Boston on Monday for fittings?”

Their squeals were answer enough.

Every day Jennifer went by the building site to check on progress. It had been cleared and leveled; now the footings for the two buildings were going in. So far everything was on schedule.

On the Saturday before the Monday trip, Jennifer took her two friends out and bought them some new outfits at the same place James had outfitted her in Middlesboro. She had called James about it.

“James I would like to buy some nice outfits for Lydia and Jessica; we do not want to show up in Boston looking ratty.”

“You have access to our accounts; that is money well spent. Whatever you need or think you need.”

The three of them had a wonderful time. Jennifer knew her father’s measurements so she stopped by a formal shop and ordered formal wear for him as well; what they had matched the bridal party picture close enough. Now Lydia and Jessica were on her about the honeymoon; something Jennifer frankly had not thought about. That evening she called James.

“Where are we going on our Honeymoon?”

“Where do you want to go?”

Jennifer had to think about it; then she realized that going to Hawaii or whatever really did not interest her. A slow smile grew. “How about spending it at your home getting to know each other.”

James groaned. “Jenn I have to take a cold shower every morning as it is; you just made it worse. But if that is what you want far be it from me to protest.”

Jennifer felt some serious heat course through her; she might need a cold shower as well. Then a thought hit; something she had been meaning to say to him but had forgotten. Taking a deep breath she got it out.  
“James, how would you feel if I brought the children with me? I do not think I can let Judy go; or any of them. I need to talk to Dad, but I think he will be OK with it. He knows that the schools where you are are so much better anyway. I want my brothers and Judy to go to college if they want; do anything they want.”

James smiled softly; that was the young lady he had grown to love. “Well it’s not like my home does not have lots of room. It’s a big place; Dad bought it right after marrying Mom; he wanted it as a showplace. Then of course he never did it; it was basically something he could show off to others and nothing more. It’s a mansion, in Potomac, just north of DC; two stories and 30 rooms; 10 bedrooms and each has its own full bath. A huge dining room and other rooms for gaming and the like; even has a decent sized Ball room. I have thought a couple of times about putting in an indoor pool there. The lawn is 4 acres with a good high wall.”

Jennifer was dazed again; a for real mansion! Managing to gather her thoughts from the several counties they had fled to, she said good night and hung up. For a long moment she just sat there; then her father came in and noticed her.

“Anything wrong, Honey?”

Jennifer blinked then decided it was now or never. She motioned for him to sit next to her and he did, looking concerned. She took a deep breath.  
“Dad, what would you think if I took the kids to Washington DC to live with me and James; send them to top private schools there? This is my idea, but I just talked to James and he has no problem with it.”

Jake Lowman sat back and sighed; then thought. He would be lonely; but his kids would be so much better off. His daughter, his pride and joy, was already doing great things and was going to be happily married in less than three months. And he knew that in every way that mattered she had been those children’s mother; in a way it was not fair to her but he knew she would miss them dreadfully. There was really no other answer.  
“I will be lonely, but it’s best for the kids and you. I know how you feel about them; in every way that matters you are their mother; and I also know how hard it would be for you to be away from Judy; and how hard it would be for her. Yes, honey, I do want you to take the kids with you. The schooling they can get there is just so much better; college and whatever they want to do.”

Tears in her eyes Jennifer could not speak; she just hugged her father.

Monday Morning she got in the company truck and went to pick up Lydia and Jessica then head towards Tazewell Airport; they got there at 9 and the Gulfstream was waiting. Both of them were awestruck. They got into the jet and sat down and buckled up. She had to smile; they probably looked just like her the first time she had been in it.

Jessica looked around with big eyes; so did Lydia but as usual she found her voice first.  
“This is just so awesome Jenn; you really are Cinderella.” Jessica giggled but nodded. “Cinderella with a jet instead of a pumpkin carriage.” Lydia nodded as well. “Only this carriage does not turn back into a pumpkin.” Jennifer smiled at her friends. “Did I tell you that Dad had agreed to have the kids live with me and James?”

They both goggled at her. Lydia sputtered “All this and he is willing to have your little brothers and little sister underfoot as well?” Jessica shook her head. “Girl, he is so totally gone for you.”

It only took a little over an hour and a half to fly to Boston. A limousine met them at Logan International; it took almost 45 minutes to get to the Bridal Salon; the driver told them that was typical of Boston Traffic. They were whisked in and the lead Designer, a MS Pothwaite, looked them over. Very imperiously she waved the two girls off to her assistants for their measurements; then took Jennifer herself and had her chief assistant do the measuring. All three of them were somewhat over awed and quiet. In only a little over an hour the dresses were ready; Jennifer looked in the mirror stunned; MS Pothwaite only smiled and remarked that she was glad that Jennifer had some meat on her bones; most models were just sticks. She walked out carefully to meet her friends who were in their bridesmaids gowns; they oohed and awwed at her dress. Then the dresses were very carefully taken off and packed into strong cardboard boxes and loaded into the Limousine. They went right back to the airport and were told that the next stop was NYC. Where they were going to a very posh restaurant; after a shopping spree at Neiman Marcus, where they would be getting each a new evening gown, which would be needed at the Posh Restaurant. The Neiman Marcus experience was a lot more fun than Boston had been; the girls spent two hours getting what they needed and wanted; and then another hour in the beauty salon there getting their hair and nails done; then decked out to the nines in new Dresses, shoes, purses and even fine coats they were escorted to Le Bernadin. James was waiting for them, dressed in a very formal suit as well. The girls were very much intimidated by everything; and it took a while for them to unwind but in the end they did and all had a very good time. At 8 they left and went to the airport where they boarded the Jet back home. By 930 Jennifer kissed James goodbye and she managed to get the girls back home by 10.

After that things settled down for a while; the building was going according to schedule and there had been no holdups; meanwhile other sites were being scouted out for other service centers. But it was found that not having someone like Jennifer on the ground slowed things down immensely; it would take much longer to get everything done at the other sites; only three others had been chosen, all in the same region though none of them closer than 100 miles. And none of them were being pushed like the first was; it was the test bed for all the rest.

Actual construction began on the two buildings by the first of May; completion by the end of July seemed to be no problem. Already all the equipment had been ordered for the garage; and everything needed for the center as well. It had been decided to start interviewing in June, and hiring in July. Everyone would be on the payroll by the middle of July. The garage would be ready first; now thought to be the end of August. The center would open if things went well by the beginning of September. As had been expected, the Sneedville Public works department; the Hancock County Public Works Department; and the Hancock County School District had all transferred their maintenance and vehicle service contracts to the Personal Services Center Transportation Center. It would be quite busy right from the start. Saturday the 10th of June was Jennifer and James wedding day; interviews would start on Monday the 19th of June.

Jennifer found that more and more of her time was being taken up by the wedding and everything that went with it; it was going to be the biggest wedding in years in Sneedville despite her trying to not do that. It was decided to rig a big tent in the vacant lot next to the Church and hold the reception there.

Then suddenly it was the last week in May, Memorial Day weekend. Things had quieted down and Jennifer, realizing that with finals the next week, then the last rush to the wedding, that this would be the last real weekend with her whole family together. So she spent it at home with her father and her brothers and sister. James had quite understood. He felt like a rest as well; after a slow start the next three centers were finally on track; they would probably not open until the New Year. Five more were in the planning stages; and Lindsey’s prediction that others would start to compete was coming true; however their head start was holding firm. James was starting to get some notice for the efforts to both bring jobs to the poor Appalachian area, and for bringing jobs back to the US. Since the number of jobs was relatively small on a national basis, so far there had not been much attention; he hoped it stayed that way.

He took a look around the mansion. He had already had the room right next to the master bedroom outfitted for Judy; just the basics. He knew Jennifer would want to redecorate; she was a woman after all. He had also ordered an access door put in so that Jennifer could go right into Judy’s room; and vice versa. He had also done the same to the room on the other side; he was hoping that would be the nursery someday. It had been interesting when he had told the staff he was not only getting married, but young children would be coming to live here. Griggs, the Butler, had noticeably blanched. He was very old school. Nancy, the cook, beamed at the thought of having more to do. The two maids and the gardener just nodded; being younger they were more able to roll with it. Griggs had quickly recovered and asked what changes the new Mistress of the House would want; James told him that there probably would be no great changes immediately; they would have to see how things went. He had noticed that there was a tree in the back that would make a nice swing tree. A play area might be a good idea; sandbox, swing, etc. The stone wall all around the property was 8 ft high; and there were alarms on the top; as well as at the gate. It should be secure enough.

The kids were very excited about the move; they kept asking questions that Jennifer really did not have the answer to. Finally she just told them that they would find out when they got there. She then went out to the back and took a deep breath; she did need to find out some things before they descended on the mansion. She pulled out her phone.

James smiled as he sat back and took Jennifer’s call. He had a hunch he knew what it was about.

“What’s up honey?”

“James, I need to know a few things about the mansion. Basically what there is for the kids?”

“I have had the bedroom on the other side of the master bedroom put together for Judy’ just the basics; you can change them however you want. I had a door put in so that there is direct access to our bedroom from that one; it can be left open if Judy is having a nightmare. I fixed the bedroom on the other side up as a potential nursery.” He stopped; he could see the blush on her face from here.

Jennifer was blushing furiously; that was something else they had not talked about. She wanted children, but not right away. She wanted to get to know her husband first; and the kids being there would complicate things enough.  
Very softly “I think it might be good to wait a while for that.”

“Works for me. I do not want to share you for a while at least.” He knew for certain she was as red as tomato.

Jennifer could not remember the last time she had blushed so hard; she was just glad no one could see her.

Taking pity on his love, James changed the subject. “The wedding is at 9 AM. The Limo will pick you up at 8. I take it your bridesmaids will be with you?”

“Yes.”

“The way things are set up as I understand it, is that you leave the LIMO at 845, and your father walks you up the steps to the entry way. Then at 9 on the dot, the organist hits the wedding march and you come up the aisle on your fathers arm. The ceremony is held, I kiss you senseless and carry you away and ravish you.”

Jennifer giggled. “Well the ravishing will have to wait until after the reception.”

“Damn. But after the reception I can ravish you in the limo heading to the Jet?”

Jennifer giggled again; but there was a definite heat flowing through her. “We’ll see.”

“Best offer I have had in many years.”

Managing to keep control, she went on “We will have a week alone then the kids will be with us.”

“A week might be long enough to take the edge off of my lust.”

“James!”

“A man can hope, can’t he?”

“There is no talking to you right now; you are behaving very badly.”

“Not yet. But I will.”

“Goodbye James.”

Jennifer had a soft smile on her face as she hung up; this was a side of James she had not really seen; and she liked it a lot.

Somehow Jennifer managed to do well on her finals; and was lucky enough to finish them on the Thursday, so she was done. That gave her a week to finalize everything for the wedding and preparing to move the kids. She looked around her room; not much was going with her; just her clothes. The same basically with the kids. Friday she checked over her lists and realized that everything was pretty much done as regards the wedding. The tent would only be put up if the weather looked chancy; that was all that had to be done. The food would be brought in; the arrangements for everything else was done. Sitting there thinking about it, she had an idea. She called James.

“What do you think about having the interviews next week instead of after the wedding?”

James thought about it. “We figured it would take three to four days; so that should work. I like it. I will have the office make the calls today. Are you ok with the setup for the operators?”  
They had put together a system that would allow the interviewer to hear how the person sounded on the phone; that would be an important part of that interview. An unused office in the Citizens Bank building was being set up for that.  
“Yes. We need to make sure that they can be easily understood on the phone.”

Lindsey and Sid would be doing the interviews for the operators. Rob would do it for the drivers and mechanics; Tom would do everyone else. The final numbers for the whole operation: 100 operators; 10 drivers, 6 mechanics; 6 maintenance and janitorial personnel. The Transport Supervisor had of course already been hired, as was the 4 supervisors for the operators and the overall manager, who as it turned out was Jack Smith from the main office; he had been a mid-level supervisor at another company for several years. Already they had found housing for the managers; it was not hard to do in Sneedville. All told that came to 128 people. The operators would be paid $12.75 per hour with medical and pension benefits, which would come out to a per hour cost of $15. And they would get a 3% raise per year for the first 5 years; after that it would be 2% per year. Considering the average pay in Hancock County was in the $9 range without benefits, this would have a huge impact on the local economy. And while they had been careful not to mention this, it was almost a given that within 6 months they would be hiring more operators. Already clients were wait listed; and while the other service centers would be going on line in the next year, the demand at the moment looked likely to outstrip supply for several years. Other corporations had sniffed this, and were starting to get into it, but they were at least a year off from being operable. Personal Service Centers would be able to skim off the cream before the other competitors got going.

The first shift would start at 6AM on the ETZ here; and would go until 2 PM; the second shift would start at 2PM and go to 10PM M-Fri. A half shift would work Sat-Sun 10-4; those working it would be chosen from volunteers; if enough did not volunteer there would be an assigned roster. Though no one really thought that there would be a problem getting volunteers. If someone worked every single possible hour, they would gross $738 a week. Anyone who did not work any overtime would gross $510 a week. Everyone got all federal holidays off; and two weeks paid vacation a year to start; and it would increase 2 days each year worked. Sick leave was at one week per year and could be accumulated as well. A half shift of volunteers would work the holidays.

Those details had been put out to the public at the beginning of May. That had prompted a flood of applications. Well over 400 had come in. Just under 150 would be interviewed. That had been a hard process to thin down those who would be interviewed; basic reading and writing skills were mandatory, and well over one third of the applications were rejected because of that. Over 50 others had been rejected due to problems found during the cursory background checks; Jennifer had quietly done most of that; she knew who the slackers and trouble makers were in the County. There were 50 more held in reserve depending on how many of the 150 did not make the cut.

Once the interviews were done then the results would be gone over; and if any more needed to be called in they would be done the next day; all interviews were to be done on the Monday and Tuesday. Makeups and extras on the Wednesday; the final choices made on the Thursday. The results; either acceptance or rejection, would be mailed on the Friday in DC. They would be delivered starting that following Monday. Everyone would go on the Payroll the middle of July; then the operators would be bused to a rented building in Middlesboro to undergo 2 weeks of general training. After that they would undergo two weeks of training by whatever company they would be representing.

The buildings were coming along ahead of schedule; the garage would be ready to open the second week of August; the Operation building would be ready by the first week in September. And maybe sooner if things worked out.

Jennifer had been very careful to let everyone know that she had nothing to do with who would be hired; that was for the professionals to do, not her. Luckily that seemed to be pretty much accepted by everyone. She did not want to have anything to do with that, frankly. She had gone by on the Friday the building site; the frames were up on the main building and the exterior was done on the garage. The exterior of the main building would be done by the end of June; the interior done by the end of July. It would take at least two weeks to install and prepare all the equipment. She looked up at the two satellite dishes that had been finished the week before; the last of the cables were being laid. She noticed Rob coming out of the garage and went to meet him.  
“Rob, how are things going?”

“Better than I expected; I have no doubt that we will be operating ahead of schedule. The equipment will be brought in two weeks; after I have hired the mechanics it will be a matter of a week or so getting ready and then we start. Luckily we will have some time for some training; the public works will not be coming to us until the beginning of October. Already I am thinking we might have to hire at least 2 more mechanics if the work load is what I think it will be.”

“That is good news.” She looked around to see no one was near and lowered her voice. “It’s just about certain we will double the operators starting in January. The other two nearby centers will start building then; they will go online sometime late next summer or early fall.”

He lowered his as well. “Are they where we thought they would be?”

“Yes. One will be about 80 miles away; the other around 100. Both in counties just as poor as this one. There are more people in each of those counties so we are probably looking at well over 200 operators in each one to start, probably doubling in a year.”

Rob quietly whistled. “This is building faster than anyone thought.”

Jennifer nodded. “It certainly is. In two years we are projecting to have 8-10 centers employing up to as many as 5000 operators.”

He looked curious. “How are they going to work the management?”

“Right now it will be section then state. In a couple of years that might have to be changed and add another layer of supervision in; we shall see. One good thing is that right now we are able to do everything out of the two banks we now control; James has people looking at some other local banks in the other areas to buy up. He wants to be able to have firm control, top to bottom.”

“Have they gotten any good numbers yet on gross?”

“Better than we had projected; expenses will work out over all too about $350,000 per month for the operations; your garage might be close to break even, maybe even a profit just on the contracts now let out. Revenues are looking at right now $1 million a month at the lowest. At that rate all startup expenses would be paid back in 5 years. And with doubling the operators, it could be paid back in as little as 2.”

Rob grinned. “This looks like a real growth industry.”

“Sure does.”

Jennifer reflected on all that she had learned in the last 3 months; she was no longer the no nothing she had been. She had really had an education in business that few business colleges could match. And this was real world; not taken out of a text book.

The High School Graduation was almost an afterthought; though Jennifer was very proud to have made the Honor Role again. There were only 42 seniors in her class, but they made a lot of noise when it was all over. James laying a really big one on her in front of everyone was a hoot as well.

George Rogers, as was his wont, was going over expenditures and revenues. Of course as regards the current major project, there were only expenses at the moment. But the promise of profits was clear and tangible; a profit margin of over 30% was virtually guaranteed of revenues over operating expenses. Startup costs were not cheap, but for such a business with the revenue potential they were looking at, they might as well have been pennies. Actually they were already showing a profit as regards the two banks they had bought controlling interests in; and they were looking at two other banks in the other areas that service centers were currently in the process of developing. He looked at the graph on the wall; it projected that in 3 years’ time they would be operating at the minimum 10 service centers, with over 4500 operators. One thing that had been firmly adhered to: a supervisor and assistant supervisor for every 50 operators. An overall supervisor for every 200. They were looking at how they would organize above that level. James was of the opinion that they could get away with having one manager for every 10 overall supervisors. George was not so sure. He was of the opinion that they would need to at least double that number. But at least that was in the future. At the moment he had to put more attention to the wedding; as was to be expected he had ended up as the defacto wedding chief. Luckily everything seemed to be looking good; especially the weather. If it stayed as it was, they would not need to put up the tent for the reception.

Sheriff Johnson had finished talking to his deputies; he wanted them to be ready for the wedding and reception next Saturday morning and early afternoon. He had no doubt that some would be seriously celebrating and they needed to watch out for that. He walked out the building and started to walk towards the nearby building site when he spotted Jennifer; she was standing there, looking over the site with a pensive expression on her face. He walked over.  
“Well, where is the happy face of the soon to be bride?”

Jennifer turned towards the Sheriff with a smile on her face; he had been a big help with weeding out the applicants, not just the drivers. Jennifer felt as confident as she could be that they would have good people working there.  
“Just thinking about all the changes happening. This is not going to be sleepy Sneedville much longer.”

“Well, overall that will be a good thing. A lot more people around here will be employed with good well-paying jobs that are reliable and not seasonable. I know that probably in the end means more work for me and my deputies, but I think it’s worth it. “

“I do too. When I think of how things looked just a little over 3 months ago, it’s amazing. You can see hope in the eyes of the people around here; in the way they walk. Not so slow, slumped over, plodding.”

Sheriff Johnson was a little surprised that Jennifer had noticed that; a veteran police officer learned early on to study body language, read people’s eyes. It was not something most people ever noticed.  
“It’s more than hope, its realization that things are getting better. The Zoning commission has gotten notices that more businesses want to open up in Sneedville; housing permits are coming in for new houses. Just the construction alone will create jobs; put more money in the pockets of the people and more tax revenues and support for basic services.”

James looked at Lindsey. “This is interesting.”

She nodded. “Makes sense though. The capacity of our uplink and downlink is way beyond what we will be using. We got these units because they were ordered but the company that ordered them went bankrupt; they were just sitting. We got a great deal for the 18 units but they are way beyond what we need. The tech guys tell me that even if we double the operators like we are looking too, we will still only be using maybe 20% of its capacity at our maximum use. A data processing center and backup center would only use another 40%. So even if we decided to build another building and double again, we would still be below max usage no matter what. And the income from the center would pay for all the use of it for our purposes. Their center would not be that big; and only employ about a dozen people all together. They would only be maintenance and service personnel.”

“But no reason they could not find the necessary people living here already?”

“Certainly would be cheaper for them. And we already have some people here that are over qualified for operator positions; they could be readily trained to do those jobs. The real high tech repair expertise would have to be brought in on a case by case basis anyway. “

James thought about it. Then he picked up the phone. “George, could you come in here?”

Several hours later they were hammering out a deal to run the data center; and the same corporation was looking at adding other centers where they were putting up service centers; one for one. Each service center would have the satellite up and downlink systems that would also service the data centers. The money brought in by the data centers would pay for the usage by the service centers. Much like the public works contracts would pay for the transportation section.

James then called Jennifer.  
“Honey, we have another business piggybacking off of us; a data processing and backup storage center wants to locate in Sneedville. They will need about an acre of land near our building in order to take feeds off of the satellite dishes. Could you check on what is available there?”

“No problem; I am right there at the moment; I can get into the courthouse and give you a name in minutes.”

In the next few days that was all taken care of and another business located in Sneedville.

Jennifer helped out with the new data processing center details over the next few days; she was happy to stay out of the way of the interview process. More applications were still coming in, and they were being processed with an eye towards the expansion that was more and more looking to happen in the next 6 months. They were already looking at the far end of the lot to decide if they could put in another building to take in the demand; it would be a squeeze and the parking lot would be full all the time, but it looked like it would work. Just barely. But that was at least a year off.

Finally it was the Friday before the Wedding. Jennifer had been working at staying busy but her nerves were there. They had interviewed in the end 148 people to fill all the positions. They had over 100 more applications that they were processing with an eye towards expansion. James thought that they would open up for more jobs in January; hire them in March and start them in May. And if they decided to build another center that would probably hire 200 more by the beginning of the next year. Jennifer wondered how much that would change things; that would certainly need more people moving into the county, and that could cause more problems than it solved. She was going to make sure that things were looked at carefully. One good thing was that the small furniture factory was losing a fair number of its workers and would have to hire replacements; many that could not get the jobs at the Service Center would find work there. She decided to talk to the Sheriff and get his opinion. She found him at his desk; Ada just waved her in.

Sheriff Johnson was once again happy to see Jennifer; anything to get away from paperwork.

Seeing the look on her face he got up and closed the door.  
“I can see you have something serious to talk about, so let it rip.”

“James is considering building another service center; that would mean 200 more jobs; on top of the 100 we will be hiring come January. They probably will not come until next January. What I want to know is how you feel about it; that will mean a fair number of people having to move into the county or more commuting into the county. I can see that there are serious considerations.”

The Sheriff sat and thought. He had already known about the expansion to 200; but this was the first he had heard of it doubling again. She was right; traffic would become a problem. And there would be others as well. He knew that he did not dare talk to anyone at the city or county level or it would get out. The three new small fast food places that were moving in; and the hardware store that was looking at coming, plus some others thinking about it meant that Sneedville was going to expand greatly; and as always that brought plusses and minuses both.  
“I will have to think on it; and try and find some people outside the area to talk to; places that have had this happen to. We need to get an idea about whether overall it will be a good thing or a bad thing.”

“I think we can expand to 200 without there being a whole lot of problems. But it’s the next 200 that I think will cause problems.”

He nodded.

Jennifer left his office and headed home; she decided that problems and worries were going to be left behind for the next week. She was getting married and that was quite enough to deal with.

Jennifer and Lydia and Jessica had a slumber party that Friday night. They laughed and cried and had a wonderful time. At 6AM they all got up and took turns taking showers. Then they quickly fixed breakfast and then once again retired to Jennifer’s room while they carefully got ready.

James had flown in early that morning. Using both jets. They both parked at the Tazewell Airport. He and Jennifer would use the gulfstream. George and the others would use the bigger jet. A fleet of limousines were waiting.

Jennifer carefully checked herself; then Lydia and Jessica checked her; then she slowly walked down the stairs.

Jake Lowman had never been prouder to be a father. His beautiful princess was slowly walking towards him. They slowly walked out to the waiting Limousine. The four of them carefully got in. The other kids would follow in the second Limousine. Judy was very proud of being the flower girl.

Sheriff Johnson was in his dress uniform waiting outside the church; his other deputies were scattered around keeping an eye on things. The weather was beautiful; in the low 60’s; it would get just into the upper 70’s and a sunny sky; the tent would not be needed. A rather considerable crowd had gathered; as far as a lot of Hancock County was concerned they were watching their own princess get married.

The groom’s party arrived first; James and George and the rest of the people from Wilkinson walked into the church. Not 5 minutes later came the Limo’s carrying the Bridal Party. Jessica and Lydia got out first and waited for Jennifer; then Jake got out and then came Jennifer; the crowd cheered and she waved to them; still covered by her veil. The children went up first with Judy; then came the Bridesmaids then the Bride.

Only one tv crew was there; this had flown under the radar so well that only the previous night had the director of Channel 5 found out that a billionaire was going to be marrying a girl from Hancock County at the Sneedville Baptist Church. The Reporter and the Crew were somewhat awed at how big the wedding was; but they did get good footage of the bridal party. They then positioned themselves to see the party go to the reception area set up right next to the Church.

Jennifer was very nervous; she could tell her father was as well. Finally the music started and they began the long walk down the aisle.

James was so very sure he had never seen a more beautiful bride. Judy was adorable going down the aisle very carefully spreading flowers.

James flat out never could remember much after that; Jennifer said the same. All that matters was that they were married.

Photographs were taken as they left the church and walked to the reception area. It had been decided not to do the garter; only the bouquets toss. It seemed interminable but finally they were away.

The Reporter talked to the news director. “Has anyone found out about all the jobs that Wilkinson Enterprises is bringing here and elsewhere in Appalachia?”  
”Does not look like it. I am going to talk to Network. This needs to get out.”  
Network was very interested. They assigned personnel to find out more. Meanwhile the reporter on the scene had managed to talk to a fair number of people on the scene and was more and more impressed; this was looking like a true modern Cinderella.  
“Said she met him when she fell off of her horse crossing a road he was driving on. Supposedly he was just wandering around. The horse took off and he offered her a lift. I heard that she was looking for her father; he had posted bail they could not afford and she had to make sure that he made the appearance. I heard he helped her get him home; then the very next day he paid the fine and the bail. Somewhere around then he came up with the idea for the service center. I have heard that he gave her credit for the idea. Not sure about that but before long things were hoping here. She became a part time employee, associate I guess, helping out getting things done. I heard she was the one that convinced Sam Watson to sell his land that they are building it on. And she was part of the deal that transferred all the public vehicle maintenance work in the county to the new garage they were building as part of the service center. Oh that? They got some surplus snow cats to make sure they could get the workers in no matter what the weather; got some school busses too. Talking about running a small bus line around here as well. So they needed a garage and built one; the county and the city and the school district is going to save a lot of money on maintenance; they gave them a lot better deal than the Tazewell garage gave them. The common idea around here is that while James Wilkinson might not walk on water, he don’t need no skis either. Jennifer is pretty much regarded as our princess, I guess you could say. Life is getting a whole lot easier and better; and we all pretty much think that she is the reason.”  
The reporter thought on all of this and called the Station Manager again.  
“Look at what I am about to send to you.”

News people are used to working very strange hours. So it was not surprising that the Local manager found the network regional man still in his office. He got the feed as well.

James carried Jennifer up the stairs of the gulfstream, her giggling all the way. What he did not know was an enterprising person with a good video camera got a good shot of that; and when reported into Channel 5 was lumped in with what was quickly becoming more than a local story.

James held Jennifer on his lap; she whispered in his ear, naughtily, “What was this I heard about a mile high club?”  
He groaned.

Less than an hour later they set down at Reagan and a limo awaited them. 30 minutes later they were in front of the mansion and the big iron gates swung open; Jennifer looked at them with her mouth wide open.

The main drive was several hundred feet long; the mansion was a Victorian type; James got out and carried Jennifer in and over the threshold while a stern looking Griggs held open the door. James set her down. “Jennifer, this is Griggs. He has been with the family almost as long as I have been alive. Griggs, this is Mrs. Wilkinson. Whatever she wants she gets.”

“Of course sir, Madame. Dinner is ready.”

Jennifer giggled as James fed her slices of wonderful roast beef. After a while she whispered “I really want to see our bedroom.”  
He groaned. Again. But it was only minutes later he swept her up in his arms once again and carried her up the stairs.  
Nancy looked on; beaming. This was the way to start a marriage!

The bedroom was spacious and beautiful, if a little cold. Jennifer shivered. James whispered to her “I will make sure I warm you up.” Then he began to slowly undress her; unwrapping her like a belated Christmas present. Jennifer trembled again; but it was not from cold.

Hours later as she lay cuddled to his side, Jennifer could not figure out how she could ever be happier than she was at that moment. James had been patient and passionate and her first time was all any girl could have wanted.  
James could not believe his luck. For the hundredth time he thanked God for giving him a nudge towards the sleepy town of Sneedville, Tennessee. He had the perfect woman as his wife; beautiful, passionate, smart and caring. And incredibly, in love with him.

Meanwhile the News division of the network was humming along. The night shift was taking over what was becoming a very interesting story. It had just about everything a newsman could want: a compelling story, romance, economics, and a slice of real American life.

While the extra limousines had taken the Wilkinson people back to the jet, others had taken Jennifer’s family back to the farm; and the bridesmaids back to their homes. Jake Lowman began to find out how hard it was to keep up with Judy, who had gotten way too much cake and thus sugar at the reception.

While Jennifer and James spent their first married night in each other’s arms, the Network News division, specifically the Nightly News section, began working on their Sunday evening news show. The Show producer had been intrigued by what the network news director had shown him. Working with the resources and efficiency that only a major network news division had, they had been able to confirm a lot of the story. Wilkinson Enterprises was indeed working to build multiple Personal Service Centers through parts of the poorest section of Appalachia. Hancock County was the poorest county in Tennessee; they were working to establish centers in the poorest county of Kentucky, and other very poor ones as well. The jobs were well paid for that area; had health benefits and a pension plan; paid holidays and vacation time; and sick leave. They were also taking jobs back that had been lost overseas; which was a big thing. They were helping out the local communities with other services as well. Parts of the poorest section of America was being uplifted. And it all seemed to have started with a man falling in love with a girl.

At noon the anchor came in; he usually did Sundays through Fridays; he liked it that way; one of the last of what he considered the old school anchors. And this story truly interested him. After making sure that everything had checked out, he looked at the Producer. “This is our special segment tonight.” And the producer agreed. A gofer came in and handed the producer some notes.

“Wow it appears that James Wilkinson’s father was a true robber baron; a real ol time SOB, Looks like the son made it a point to make up for mean ol daddy.”

The anchor looked it over. “This story just gets better and better. It’s like something out of Hollywood.”

The producer smiled. “Cinderella.” The anchor nodded. “I think we have the title; now let’s see how we put it together.”

James and Jennifer had not moved out of the bedroom all day. Finally they agreed enough was enough and they would go down for dinner. James dressed in a leisure suit and Jennifer in a simple dress and they trooped down the stairs to the Dining Room.

George normally watched the Network news, jumping back and forth between the various ones, to get an idea what was going on. It was just chance that he noticed the blurb at the beginning of one Nightly News show.  
“And in our special segment tonight, a modern Cinderella, set in the backwoods of Tennessee.”

George froze. He made sure that his DVR was on. He had a hunch only one possible Cinderella qualified.

While Jennifer and James enjoyed a simple dinner and each other, George was transfixed at the Special Segment.

“This story begins in the sleepy town of Sneedville, Tennessee; Hancock County is the poorest county in Tennessee and many families just barely hang on. (Pictures) Alcoholism is rampant due to the dreary state of the economy. On March 15 Jake Lowman was arrested for being Drunk and Disorderly; in many cities it’s called Public Intoxication. He posted bail; but his family could not afford it; and he went off to finish drinking with some friends. His 17 year old high school senior daughter had to take off from taking care of her 10 and 6 year old brothers and 4 year old sister to find him and make sure that he made the hearing since if that money was lost they might lose their small farm and become homeless. Their mother had died soon after the birth of their youngest child; leaving the then 13 year old teen as the de facto mother. Jennifer saddled one of the families two horses and went out looking for her father.

James Wilkinson is a very wealthy man; nearly a billionaire. (Picture) His father, Jacob Wilkinson, would have put the term Robber Baron to shame. (Picture) But his son is cut from a very different cloth. He had just finished up buying a dying business and changing it to become profitable; when his jet parked at Tazewell Tennessee municipal airport apparently became too boring for him to stick around. Dressed casually, in an inexpensive car, he started to drive around, and for some reason chose to head towards Sneedville. Along the way he almost ran into Jennifer; her horse spooked and threw her. Feeling responsible he offered her a ride home. He ended up helping her find her father and get him to the Hearing the next day; where he paid off the bail bond and then the fine. Somewhere along there the idea came up to start up a service center in Sneedville. Many of you have had contact with one; usually based in India with someone who’s English is not very clear. Well it’s well under way; (Cut to the buildings) they will be hiring well over 100 people in the next few weeks; other businesses are starting up. The unemployment rate in Hancock County will be cut in half at least. And other such service centers are opening up in other troubled areas of Appalachia, bringing good jobs. And the garage built with the service center is giving a good deal to the local school district and public works departments on servicing their fleets, saving badly needed tax money for other uses. These jobs not only pay much better than the average wages in the area, they have health benefits, paid holiday and sick leave, a pension plan. And they will be bringing jobs back to America.  
(Cut to the wedding) And now for the Cinderella part. On Saturday, June 10, just yesterday, James Wilkinson and Jennifer Lowman were married at the Sneedville Baptist Church.  
Where they went after that is unknown, but we have an idea how they went (Cut to the footage of James carrying Jennifer into the jet). And that is our special segment tonight.

George shook his head. This was going to really change things.

Meanwhile all over Hancock county people were calling each other. They had just made national news. Sheriff Johnson shook his head; no doubt there would be rubberneckers coming; and with the twisting roads fun would be had. But he had to admit the segment had been accurate and correct. And it gave credit where credit was due.

Jake Lowman had taken the phone off the hook; after the fifth call came there was no point in answering it. But he had to smile; several friends told him they would make copies of the segment and show him sometime.

Jennifer and James were snuggling the next morning; both their phones were turned off; Griggs had been informed that they would not be appearing until dinner. However Griggs realized after talking to Mr. Rogers that Mr. Wilkinson needed to know. Nancy had been told about the segment by a friend; she had told Griggs that morning. He carefully knocked on the master Bedroom door.

James groaned; what was it? He got a robe and went to the door.  
“Griggs this better be important.”

“Sir, Mr. Rogers called and was very firm about needing to speak to you.”

James thought about that for a moment. “Alright Griggs, I will call him.” Then went back into the bedroom and closed the door.  
It was hard to tear his eyes away from Jennifer, wearing nothing but a soft smile, wrapped in the sheets on the bed, but he managed to find his phone and turn it on. And hit speed dial #2. George used to be #1.  
“George this better be VERY important. What? Really? Well make a copy and email it to me. Too big? Put it on the company website and I will look at it there. Yes I guess this was important enough; but it’s a close call and maybe you could have waited until tomorrow?”

Jennifer looked at him with interest. “What did George want, Honey?”

“Apparently there was a TV news crew there yesterday; they got the whole story and last night’s nightly news did a special segment on us. It was called a Modern Cinderella. George taped it and will transfer it to the company website where we can see it.”

Jennifer’s eyes got huge. “Really?”

“Yes Really. I imagine it will take him a while to get it done.”

“Well I have a suggestion on how to pass the time.”

“Really Mrs. Wilkinson?”

“Really MR Wilkinson.”

A few hours later they got dressed for dinner and made a stop off at his work study. They watched the segment in silence, then looked at each other. And sighed.

The fallout was not long in coming. Wilkinson Enterprises came under siege Monday Morning. Reporters wanted to find out where the Honeymoon couple were; and what plans the Corporation had to make things better for the poor of America.

Jennifer cuddled with James and sighed. “We will need to face them sooner or later. Might as well get it over with. They will not rest until they talk to you and take their pictures of us.” James grumbled but knew she was right.

Sheriff Johnson had alerted his men; and he had a deputy camp outside the drive way of the Lowman farm; with orders to not let anyone past. He had called everyone in; he wanted at least two deputies at the work site to keep an eye on things; and he wanted extra patrols because he KNEW people would start to poke around.

Meanwhile in the manor of all politicians the Governor of Tennessee had been informed of the segment; and he of course wanted to know why he had not been told about these developments. They were significant to the economy of the poorest part of the state; and all politicians liked being part of successes. The Governor of Kentucky was briefed as well; informed that two of those centers were in the process of starting up. It looked like several thousand jobs, good jobs, right smack dab in the middle of the poorest parts of the state. The two governors separately considered things, then the Governor of Tennessee called the governor of Kentucky. They had known each other casually over the years.

“Ted. Did you have any advance warning?”

“No Sam. Heard it this morning for the first time as well. I already chewed out my staff; this should have been spotted weeks ago.”

“Same here. Well we need to do something; or look like we got caught by surprise that someone is actually helping out substantially the poorest parts of our two states.”

“I agree. Joint effort?”

“I think that would be smart.”

“Well let’s get our staffs to talk to each other and justify their existence.”

“Yeah its time they earned their keep.”

The morning news shows had caught on; and the major newspapers were not far behind It was quickly becoming a national news story. And of course Washington DC was avid listeners and readers of the news; always looking for something they could use to make their own situations better. National Politicians took notice; as did the White House.

One of the Presidents staffers had seen the segment and had taken notes. And as soon as he got into work early Monday morning started to research it. Good economic news was somewhat scarce at the moment; and this could actually have nationwide impact if expanded and reinforced. And then of course to throw an old fashioned Rich man falls in love with poor girl and marries her and carries her off just made the story more tasty.

James had called for the Limousine; and after carefully dressing in a business suit and Jennifer dressing in a very pretty tight dress that did make her look a few years older (And made James wish he could tear it off and ravish her right in the limo) they headed towards Corporate Headquarters. They arrived right at 10 to find a fair number of reporters and no less than three tv trucks waiting. Moving quickly they were able to get into the building before being mobbed. However three of the five major networks got footage; and that was just in time for the top of the hour update. But the knowledge that their quarry was now in the building drew more reporters like bees to honey. It was a fairly slow news period; no major stories hot at the moment; so there were plenty of resources available to besiege the building.

They had immediately headed into the conference room. Once everyone set down James looked at George. They had never had to have a PR section and now they needed one badly.  
“OK, people, we need to figure out how to feed that circus out there without becoming part of the meal. So what do we do?”

George sighed. “The two of you will have to make an appearance. They will be satisfied with nothing else.”

“We figured that. Do we do a statement or take questions or both?”

“Might be better to just take questions for 10 minutes or so.”

James looked around at everyone; no one had a better idea. He looked at Jennifer. She smiled softly at him. “We can do it.” He slowly nodded. He looked at George. “You get to go out there and let them know we will take questions in say, what, half an hour?”  
He nodded. “That seems fair. We will have it right outside the main entrance. There is room.”

He got up and headed out to the door which had been kept locked. He had Sid open the door while he slipped out.

LIGHTS flashed and people shouted. He held up his hands and waited; after a few seconds things quieted down. “Mr and Mrs Wilkinson will take questions starting in 30 minutes right here. It’s up to you people to sort yourselves out.” Then he slipped back in the door, leaving pandemonium behind.

Amazingly they did. After about 15 minutes the circus had gathered in a semi-circle with the microphones held out and the cameras all in position. The original 3 networks had now become CNN, FOX, ABC, NBC, CBS. After some shoving and jostling they had somehow seemed to settle down. Watching from inside Lindsey quietly said “It still looks like feeding time at the zoo.”

Jennifer and James sat holding each other. James was a little worried about Jennifer; but she seemed very calm. She smiled at him. “All I have to do is smile and look pretty and not say anything stupid. You have to do the hard stuff.” He laughed at that and suddenly it was much better. Holding firmly to her hand they headed towards the door.  
George, Sid and Tom pushed open the door; every available body was behind them forming a screen for the couple. James and Jennifer marched out, holding hands, and faced the press.

James had seen more than a few press conferences and had decided how to handle this. He immediately pointed at a Reporter right in front. “First Question.”  
“Mr Wilkinson, how many centers are you looking to open?”  
“Right now 10. More may come. We will examine the situation and decide.”  
“Mr Wilkinson, how many jobs are you looking to have?”  
“Right now around 5000 total.”  
“Why Sneedville?”

“Because of two reasons: One it needed the jobs; and two I met my lady there.”

“Mrs Wilkinson: Is it true he caused you to fall off your horse?”  
“No it was not; I was not paying attention; he was going quite slow and I should have been able to keep my seat; it was not in any way his fault as I told him at the time.”  
“Mr Wilkinson; was it love at first sight?”

“For me it pretty much was.”

“Mrs Wilkinson: Not far off for me either.”

“Mrs Wilkinson: how do you respond to the charges that your Husband is exploiting the poor of Appalachia.”  
“Show me anyone else starting businesses that will employ those that live there and pay them good wages with benefits. I can tell you from experience that that list is VERY short.”

“Mrs Wilkinson; do you think the government should do more for the poor of Appalachia?”  
“Government does not make good jobs for communities; they hand out money, but that never lasts. People need good jobs that they can make good wages from to support their families. Government should work to encourage companies to build businesses that will employ people.”  
“Mr Wilkinson; where will you spend your honeymoon now?”  
“In bed. Thank you” And they hustled back into the building.

The Two governors were watching; so were some congressional staffers and several White House aides. All of them thinking the same thing: use them.

Inside the office building, everyone took a deep breath. James kissed Jennifer thoroughly. “You were great honey.” Glowing from the kiss and the compliment she just smiled. “Now I want to make good your boast; how do we get out of here and back to bed?”  
“I think we can get you two to the Limo in a little while; the reporters are starting to leave.”  
Said Ted from watching out the front window.

Meanwhile the morning talk shows reran the quick press conference. Attention quickly went to Jennifer.  
On Today: “She is just 18; actually, she will not be 18 for a few more weeks. What poise and confidence.”  
On Fox: “She really is strong for free enterprise and NOT government handouts”  
On Good Morning America “How long before someone tries to get her to run for Office; that kind of poise and style is very rare; and she clearly is intelligent.”

The two governors talked. “I think some kind of recognition is due.”  
“Exactly. In Sneedville.”  
“Yes. And then mention the other ones that will be building. And call on other corporations to do the same.”

The White House Chief of Staff watched the special segment, then the press conference, and read the briefing papers. He looked at the staff. “We need to be part of this. Those are swing states.”

In the congressional offices of those congressmen whose districts were involved, heavy discussions. “We HAVE to be part of this; this is happening in our own district and we did not know about it.”  
“What about seeing if we can put together a bill to give tax breaks to companies that locate in depressed areas; and who are bringing jobs to America from overseas?”

In Sneedville Sheriff Johnson had gotten an idea; he called up the phone company and asked them to temporarily de list the Lowman address. They agreed. He kept a deputy there though. With the kids off from school the family was at home; but Jake was at work. He thought about it then decided to make a call.  
Jennifer checked her phone then answered it. “Sheriff? Is anything wrong?”  
“Not yet Jenn but I think it’s just a matter of time before the curious find their way to your farm. Jake is at work but the kids are home alone; I know Mrs. Reilly will keep an eye on them but still…”  
Jennifer took a deep breath. “You are right. We need to get them to the mansion. I will figure something out. Can you get ahold of Daddy?”  
“I will take care of it. Call me when you are near.”  
She looked at James. “We need to get the kids here today.”  
He nodded. “There goes the honeymoon.”  
“I will make it up to you.”  
“I am counting on that.” He looked at George. “Call the airport; I want the Gulfstream ready to go in an hour. We will head right there from here.”

Mayor Jenkins of Sneedville gulped. “Yes sir. I understand. Thursday at noon. Yes sir” He hung up; he looked at his secretary. “Get ahold of the sheriff. The Governor and our local congressmen will be here Thursday to give an award to Wilkinson and soak up some good publicity; just to make it more fun the Governor of Kentucky will be here as well. I have a feeling more will show up.”

The Sheriff groaned when he heard. Talk about a circus; he had watched the morning shows and had been stunned by the attention this was getting. Then he had a thought; and made a call.

Rob Willow was shaking his head as well over the events; it was crazy. Then his phone rang.  
“Rob, its Sheriff Johnson.”  
“Bad news?”  
“Yes. Two governors and a couple of congressmen and maybe some others will be here on Thursday to make nice and compliment James; what does the interior of the Garage look like?”  
“Empty. But we have all the lights installed. I can guess where you are going. I guess it’s the only place big enough; we can put planks over the pits; it’s doable.”  
“Good.”

James looked at his phone; they were on the way to the airport.  
“Yes?”  
“James its Sheriff Johnson. The Governors of Kentucky and Tennessee, some congressmen and a partridge in a pear tree want to bask in your glow on Thursday in Sneedville.”  
“Oh Joy.”  
“We want to use the Garage; it’s empty and big and the lights work. I already talked to Rob.”  
“So be it.”

The President was shown the Special Segment and everything else. He looked at his Chief of Staff. “Good catch. I will mention this at the Press Conference Wednesday Night. How Americans can make it happen. And so on.”

They made it to Sneedville by 1PM. Instead of Limo’s they used a Minivan. It would have room for everyone. They had contacted the Sheriff and he let them know that a couple of gawkers had found the farm but had been turned back by the deputy. So far that was all; though there was a lot more traffic around Sneedville than usual. Her father had been told; he told the Sheriff to get his kids out of there. IT only took about half an hour to get the kids all packed up and head out. They got to the Airport by 2 and were in DC by 3. The kids were all in awe as they got to the Mansion. Jennifer spent the rest of the afternoon settling the kids in; she quickly ordered some things and had them delivered for the kids. Judy was a little afraid and clung to the only Mother she had ever known.  
James saw his wife comfort the girl who was a sister in name but in every way that mattered her child and felt very proud to have such a wonderful young woman as his wife.

George realized that they were going to have to have a PR department. There was no choice. But that did not help them now. He had just been contacted by the Governor’s offices of both Kentucky and Tennessee; they along with local Congressmen would be giving public acknowledgement to James Wilkinson for the centers. It was strongly hinted that Mrs Wilkinson should be there as well. It would happen in Sneedville that Thursday at high noon.  
James looked at his phone. “Yes George, I have heard about the Thursday circus. I have talked to Sheriff Johnson; we will have it in the garage. I would contact the Governors offices and have them set it up. Make them do all the work; contact the Sneedville people and make the same suggestion. That way if it all goes tits up it’s not their fault.”

Sheriff Johnson listened to George Rogers; he agreed; make them do all the work. He rang off and contacted the Mayor, who immediately agreed. He quickly called and let the Governors know it was their show.

The staffs of the two governors got the word and looked at each other; those hicks in Sneedville were not as dumb as some might think.

Tuesday the arrangements began to be put in place; discussions went on between the Governor’s staffs and the congressional staffs. Jockeying for position started. Speech writers wanted more specifics; they then contacted Wilkinson Enterprises; George was not able to get much else done.

Tuesday the children began to settle down; Jennifer took them out to shop for various things; James, acknowledging reality, went to the office. He vowed when things settled down he would take Jennifer somewhere where they could be REALLY alone. While in the office he got dragged into preparations for the event on Thursday.

Sheriff Johnson, not a fan of motorcades, suggested to the Governor’s Staffs that maybe coming in by Helicopter would be a good idea. He pointed out that they could make the excuse that they were busy men and the time needed to go by road was not justifiable when they could hop in and out by chopper. That quickly gained favor and was accepted by all. The parking lot for the center had been laid and was ready for use so a landing site was no problem. The main building had just had the exterior started; the roof was up, if not finished, and the walls were just about done, with the exception of the siding. The interior of the garage had been worked on to plank over the pits and make sure the floor was reasonably clean.

By the end of Tuesday everything had pretty much been agreed on, much to everyone’s relief. Jennifer had finished the shopping and the kids had rooms that were now decorated and full of furniture. Judy was settling in well and was no longer as clingy; the two boys were quite happy. Already the new swing in the back yard was in use; and a sandbox had been procured and delivered. Jennifer had asked James what he knew about as regards kids in the neighborhood; he admitted to total ignorance. So Jennifer went to talk to Nancy.

Nancy was quite happy to fill her in on the neighborhood; but the news as regards children was not good. There basically were no children in the neighborhood. The mansions here were all old family or fairly old family; show places more than homes. Business men or old money, some government officials. SO when Jennifer pointed out to Nancy that the kids needed playmates, she was stumped. A preschool would be the answer for Judy; but what about the boys? That is when Nancy had an idea; her oldest daughter had two boys just about the same age; they lived not that far away; but the local neighborhood was not the best for young boys; too near bad places. Why not bring them here every day during the summer? Jennifer thought that was a wonderful idea. Maybe a couple of others as well. The boys could play in the large mansion grounds at whatever they wanted to. Nancy beamed and let Jennifer know she would talk to her daughter that day, and find out what other kids could be rounded up. James when told of this was happy to agree; he too was a little worried once Jennifer had brought up the subject; the boys needed to play with other boys. Once school started it would not be a problem. They could come on weekends.

Wednesday seemed to settle down; the office was quieter, and preparations for the Thursday dog and pony show were complete. All the letters for the jobs should have been delivered; and everything was ready for the orientation and training that would start in July. It was now clear that they would double the current workforce in Sneedville; the question was when to put out the news? The demands and requests for service were still increasing, and it was clear that they could double again if they wanted to. Serious questions had been raised by the Mayor and the Sheriff if they built the second building and had 400 people working there. Traffic and other considerations needed to be closely looked at. They definitely would need more parking. Luckily there was an acre on the North side that could be purchased; and James had decided to do just that. It had been agreed to have a serious discussion on that sometime soon. After some thought, it was decided to announce the increase to 200 at the event on Thursday; and say that applications would be accepted immediately; but that hiring would not happen until October or November.

Lindsey had been fielding a lot of inquiries about more Service Centers; they had bought land and were working on 8 more at the moment; and were looking at 6 more sites as well. Each would be 400 operators. The Building would be increased to accommodate the numbers; the design would be offices on both sides with a central area for supervisors, break rooms and the like. 200 feet by 100 feet. Lindsey had been able to listen and find out that while other companies were jumping on the bandwagon, they were really in the infancy of it all and would not be ready to offer service for at least a year. They hoped to have 9 centers operational before anyone else had any. Sid and Sarah had been put in charge of preparing the other centers; using Sneedville as the model. They would be interviewing for the next centers by October. Hiring right before Christmas to begin training in January and working in late February. It was estimated that in a little over one year they would have close to 5000 people working. It was clear that a new office building would be needed; and that massive hiring of people to take care of a workforce would be needed soon. Some of the current staff were right now interviewing supervisors for the various departments; and the legal section had already doubled in size.

One good thing was that many of the corporations wanting service were still under contract to firms in India which in most cases would not run out for at least a year. So the immediate need was manageable. But in about 18 months there would be a huge demand that Wilkinson could only partially handle. At least with the current plans. Lindsey had estimated that by that time there would be a need for about 10,000 operators. And Wilkinson could only handle half of that with its current outlook. Other corporations would of course be jumping in, so it was likely that they could just stay at the level currently planned. But George had ordered more surveys and had people looking at other sites not currently considered. The problem was with those sites, the wages currently offered would not have the same impact and draw; there were other businesses in those areas that paid as well or better. While there were more places in the Deep south that were economically needed and had low wages, there was the problem of language; the deep south southern drawl was difficult for many non-southerners to understand. Just like it would be for far northern New England and say those from the Bronx. However, there were possibilities out west, particularly in the Northern Great Plains states like South and North Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho. Preliminary possibilities looked like they could locate another 10-15 in disadvantaged areas out there. Or in some of the Indian Reservations of the southwest. James had asked that those be considered as well.

If any of this came to fruition, then an even bigger support bureaucracy would be required, which of course would take its toll on profits. They would almost have to establish offices out west; trying to control and run well that many sections thousands of miles away in different time zones from the current locations would be inefficient and awkward. Therefore James had ordered that along with surveys and inquiries for service centers out there that they also look for another headquarters location. Just looking at the map would indicate that Denver or SLC would be the most desired locations for that.

After hearing all of this, James had then specified that they needed to look at the overall costs versus revenues; that much overhead would drag on the bottom line severely. They were in the midst of crunching numbers for everything.

Wednesday night started out nicely for Jennifer and James; the kids fed and Judy already asleep and the boys in their rooms. They were cuddling in the spacious living room, idly watching TV. The President had a press conference going on and they were too lazy to shut it off. Then they heard it:  
“Mr President, what about the continuing high unemployment rate?  
We are investigating every possibility; but I would be remiss not to remind people that most jobs come from the private sector; just in the last few months thousands of jobs are opening up due to the work of one company, Wilkinson Enterprises, who are also locating those jobs right in the most disadvantaged areas of Appalachia. They are putting jobs right where they are badly needed. It is that kind of private enterprise that this country needs.”  
They looked at each other and groaned. James looked towards the phone and started an audible count “One, two, three, four, “and it rang. He picked it up.  
“Yes Roger we saw it live and in living color. This is going to make tomorrow even more of a circus. We better move up the flight time; let’s get there around 9 instead of 11. Let everyone know. I am going to turn the phone off now.”

Jennifer sighed; then smiled. He looked at her with an eyebrow raised.  
“I like being married to a man who just got a big compliment from the President of the United States.”  
“Would Madame like to show her approval in another way?”  
“Madame would.”

Nancy had agreed to keep an eye on the kids; Friday would be the first day the other kids would come over; a total of 8 would be coming; nicely balanced with half Alex’s age and half Jake’s age.

They got up fairly early, before the kids, and headed out. James had decided that using the Limo all the time was just a little much and had started driving himself; a nice Cadillac was used; though since it was a trip to the airport they used the Limo that morning. Jennifer had mandated that they needed either a large SUV or a minivan for when they took all the kids; they were coming around to agreeing a minivan was best. They both brought a nice change of clothes to the casual wear they had on; Jennifer with one of her Neiman Marcus acquisitions that managed to be both sexy and business like; and James with a very good business suit. They met Roger at the airport and they boarded the Gulfstream and headed to Tazewell. They left Reagan at 8 and arrived at Tazewell at 9. The Limo waiting for them got them to Sneedville at just before 10. Already a fair number of people were there; they decided to check in at the combination city hall county courthouse. Both of them had changed in the aircraft and were ready to go. They found the Sheriff busy directing traffic; and the Mayor trying to stay calm. The helicopters were due in at 1130, so they had time to wander a little, looking over the buildings. They then went over the short speech that James had prepared; in it he mentioned that they would double the hiring’s in Sneedville. No mention yet of the further expansion; they had all decided to wait on that.

The Sheriff had made sure that the landing area was cordoned off; and right on schedule at 1130 two helicopters, one from each state, landed. The entourage came out to be greeted by the Mayor, and they all trooped into the Garage. Some quick conversations took place, then they headed towards the podium. A fair number of people had shown up, but most of the crowd consisted of reporters. It looked like every network and a lot of the top newspapers had sent reps; well over 100 were there.

Right at 12 the Mayor started it off; then the Governor of Tennessee thanked James for his efforts; followed by the Governor of Kentucky and then the local Congressman. Then James gave his speech.  
“Governors, Congressman Reynolds, Mayor. Thank you for your kind words. This has become much bigger than I ever thought it would. In the interest of full disclosure, this all began because I was bored and curious about this area. Just wandering around. Then god smiled on me and introduced me to my future wife. A lot of what happened right after I nearly ran into her, I must admit, was really meant to impress her. And it just has seemed to snowball from there. I am proud to announce that we will be doubling our workforce here in Sneedville; we expect to hire again starting in late October, early November and want people working by Christmas. In the next year in Tennessee and Kentucky, we hope to have almost 5000 people working, and it looks like that is not the end of it. We are right now looking at locating centers in the Northern Great Plains, and possibly in the Southwest. I have no idea where this is all going to end up; the future is surely in motion. Thank you.”

The Governors were very happy to hear those numbers, and the Congressman asked him to forward a list of where the centers would be located so that he could inform fellow congressmen. The Mayor had already known about the expansion, and so had Sheriff Johnson. But it was news to everyone else in Sneedville. The reporters were clamoring for questions to be taken; and the politicians knew that it was a good idea to leave, so James was left to answer questions; Jennifer right at his side. With the quick departure of the politicians in the helicopters, it was agreed to have a quick press conference as soon as they left.  
“Mr Wilkinson, just how many more jobs will open here in Sneedville?”  
“104.”  
“Mr Wilkinson, when will the other centers start hiring?”  
“We are already hiring; the general hiring will commence in the next month.”  
“Mr Wilkinson, can you be more specific where out west you will be locating?”  
“Right now we are looking at multiple centers in North and South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming and Idaho. We have begun preliminary surveys of areas in the Southwest, cannot be more specific at this time.”  
“Mr Wilkinson, do you have any numbers on jobs?”  
“Not at this time, but it would be reasonable to think that we would double our current projections.”  
“Mr Wilkinson, will they all be located in disadvantaged areas?”  
“Yes. That is where the need is greatest.”  
“Mrs Wilkinson, did you realize that he was trying to impress you?”  
“Not at first; later on I figured it out. I guess I was a little slow on the uptake.”  
“Mr Wilkinson, what will the size of each center be?”  
“The standard size will be 400 operators. And supporting personnel, as well as usually transportation sections as we have done here and are building elsewhere. We also believe that in many cases we can save the local areas money by servicing their official vehicles and equipment at a cheaper rate. That is it people.”

And he and Jennifer moved off of the podium, refusing to answer any more questions. Sheriff Johnson had some deputies hold the mob back as they got into the Limo outside the building and headed off. James sat back and took a deep breath. Jennifer giggled and said “Oh come on it was not that hard.”  
They were back home by 2PM. They spent the rest of the day relaxing and being with the children. Jennifer went out later on to check on a couple of day care centers that she wanted to take Judy to. The second one was not far off and she liked it; she decided to bring Judy to visit it the next day and see how she liked it.

Meanwhile the business rolled on; applications started to come in for the next 100 jobs; and work kept on going on with the other centers beginning to be built and in the process of final approval. As James had said, it resembled a giant snowball rolling downhill and getting bigger and bigger.

James decided to stay home Friday, he like Jennifer wanted to meet the boys being brought over to spend the day. Not to mention he wanted to miss the office for a while. George informed him that he was looking into PR firms and hoped to have a short list in the next week. It had been decided to farm it out rather than have one in house. They were getting requests for extended interviews from not only DC area newspapers, but Kentucky and Tennessee ones as well; and then they got informed that Time and Newsweek wanted to talk; then the NY Times. James told George to expedite the hiring of the PR firm.

Friday was interesting. The load of kids came over at 10; it was very nearly a madhouse for a while then the kids started playing football in the back and things started to settle down. Jennifer was happy to see the kids mixing in well; then she took Judy to the two preschools that she had scoped out; the first one was on closer look not so good. But the second turned out to feel right and Jennifer got Judy in right away. James kept an eye on the hoard and was glad when they left at 3. He really would not want to have to keep watch on them every day. He talked to Nancy and they contemplated what would be needed to keep the leash on. When Jennifer came back with Judy she laughed at James’s worry; she could handle them. He was not so sure; she just smiled and told him that she had had to handle a group like that playing on the farm at a younger age than she was now; so frankly she was not worried.

Another issue was what school to put the boys into come fall; James thought that the local public schools seemed decent, but he wanted to take a closer look. There were private schools not far away, and he was interested to find out that most of the boys who had come were from private schools. This whole area was very wealthy or well to do at the least, and therefore private schools were pretty much universal. Jennifer was of the opinion that they had to closely examine both possibilities.

Meanwhile George had settled on a PR firm and had signed them up on Friday; they would be starting Monday handling all PR situations. The multiple requests for interviews with both James and Jennifer were going to have to be taken care of; but James was of the opinion that stalling a little would be a good idea.

The weekend was needed for rest and relaxation; they took the kids out on Saturday to DC, the Capital and the Mall and the like. The kids were very impressed when sighting the Washington monument; and happy to look out the top. The weather was great and they spent some time just walking and looking around. Sunday they stayed home and just lazed. Monday came and Judy went to preschool; and Jennifer took the boys and started to investigate schools while James drove himself to work and met with the new PR firm.

They seemed very polished; and their record looked good. They were very firm, though, that the interviews needed to get done. The longer the delay the more aggressive the questions would get. James bowed to that logic and decided to do Time, Newsweek and the NY Times in addition to the local newspapers starting on Tuesday and finishing on Wednesday. Meanwhile more hiring went on as regards setting up the support system for the centers, and making sure that the applications were plentiful in Sneedville for the second 100. The PR firm insisted on vetting the outfits that Jennifer and He would wear for the interviews; and grudgingly James agreed. He was a little worried that Jennifer might bristle but was surprised when she said she had no problem with them picking what she should wear. They were the professionals, she reminded him.

Tuesday came and James and Jennifer started doing the interviews. The kids were kept at home; the interviews were done at the Office. James was very firm that nothing would be done at home; no matter what. The NY Times was first; outside of a fair number of photographs the interview was not intrusive on their private life; mainly devoted to the business. The Reporter did bring up James father. James simply said that he disagreed with virtually all the tactics his father used and would never use them himself. That interview started at 10 and went to 1. Time was next and went from 2 to 5. That was it for the first day. On Wednesday they started at 10 with Newsweek and that finished at Noon. Then a series of shorter interviews with the Washington Post and Washington Times. Then it was finished off with a combined interview with Kentucky and Tennessee papers. That finally was done by 6 and an exhausted James and Jennifer went home. Nancy had picked up Judy both days from Day Care; and the boys were getting restless. They had arranged for the other boys to come back on Thursday and Friday; Jennifer would be keeping an eye on them. James hoped she really was capable of riding herd on rambunctious pre-teens.

The NY Times came out first with the interview on page 4; Time and Newsweek indicated that the stories would be filler in their next issues. The two Washington Papers intended the articles to be part of their Sunday edition. The other papers pretty much parroted what was already said in their Thursday papers. Overall it was felt that the media was losing interest and everyone was happy about that.

During this time the applications had poured in to the office for the second group of Operators in Sneedville. More of the applications were coming in from outside the county this time. Jennifer was very firm in that first refusal should go to Hancock County residents; James had no problem with that. However it looked like only about half of the applications that made it through the first vetting process were from Hancock County; most of those who had missed the cut for the first hundred. Jennifer once again vetted them personally, for any she knew were trouble or had bad reputations. The Background checks also eliminated a fair number.

Since it was getting towards the end of June, James felt that a quick visit to Sneedville was in order to see how things were going. Thursday and Friday had seen the return of the Hoard but Jennifer had proven herself equal to the task and there were no real problems. It was decided to go up to Sneedville on Saturday to visit Jake and look over Sneedville. James also wanted to talk with the Mayor and the Sheriff; he wanted to make the decision about expanding Sneedville.

Saturday the kids were all bundled into the Limo which took them to the airport, and the jet took them to Tazewell, where a minivan awaited. They got into Sneedville around 10, the kids and Jennifer were dropped off at the farm while James went into town to talk with the Sheriff and the Mayor. The director of Public works was included in the meeting held at the Mayor’s office. James started it off.  
“Bottom line is the new building and doubling the number of people going to be good or bad for the county?”

Joe thought about it. “More traffic; but outside of that I do not see where there will be any serious problems from my area.”

The Mayor was thoughtful. “This will drive up housing and property prices; but that is happening already.”

The Sheriff was pensive. “There will be more work for my men, but not all that much more. Now down the road, more troubles may leak in but who knows. I agree with the others, the real problem will be a lot more traffic. But I think it’s manageable. I think it’s more plus than minus overall.”

James looked at the other two who also nodded. “OK. Then we will do it. But we will not start work until December; and will not hire until March or April. I want the first center to be fully up and running before we really start on the second. We will hire the second group in August; with their training and sign up starting in late September, with the actual work starting in the beginning of November. So we will have several months of experience running one full group before we start on the second. I think we should not announce the expansion until Christmas.”

They were all in agreement with that; no one wanted to go too fast.

Jennifer and the kids had a good time with their father. Jake had quietly told her that he was not as lonely as he had thought he would be; and the knowledge that his children were getting a much better life helped a lot. Jennifer had quietly made sure that Mrs Reilly and others would stop in to check on him now and then.

One slightly touchy subject that Jennifer was making a point to avoid was that both Lydia and Jessica had decided to apply for operator positions with the second group. George had told her that from all appearances there should be no problems with them being hired. To their credit neither girl had talked to Jennifer about it.

They all made it back to DC by 8 that evening. All worn out by the long day and activities. Sunday was a day of rest in more ways than one.

Jennifer had talked to the mothers of the boys involved and it was decided to have them over Tuesday through Thursday; which suited everyone. Judy had fit right in at the preschool; so Jennifer was quite happy with the way things were going. She was deep into research on the local schools; and was more and more of the opinion that the private schools were the way to go. Some of what was being taught in the local public schools she wanted no part of. There were three private schools in the immediate area; one of them was very high brow and Jennifer did not like what she heard or found out about it; a rich kids playground where the administration catered too much to the richer students parents. The other two were less high class; James knew one of the directors of one of the schools and did some checking; what he found out eliminated that school. So by default they looked at the last one and were pleasantly surprised by how down to earth it seemed. James had asked George to sniff around and find out what he could; but at the moment it looked the way to go.

The construction at Sneedville was moving steadily along; the garage was fully done and the equipment was beginning to arrive. Rob was certain he could start operations by the first week in August. The main building’s exterior was finished and the interior was about half done; it would be completed by the end of July. The equipment would be in and installed by the middle of August. The week before Labor Day was being targeted as the start date; orientation and training would be done by then. After careful consideration, it was decided to expand the entire orientation and training period to five weeks. The initial work would be done at a rented facility in Middlesboro; the workers would be bused in from Sneedville. That was due to start on the 10th of July.

The planning for the far west and southwest centers was moving along; contact had been made with several Indian Tribes in the Southwest and the response had been favorable. The northern Great Plains states had proven good areas to approach and things were starting to finalize there. The other centers in Tennessee and Kentucky were moving to the building stage; applications were being sent out. The biggest change was the decision to buy a small office building only a few blocks from the main office; it had been empty for a while and would need some work; but it had 50 offices in its two stories and that was thought to be enough for the burgeoning work force that was already too big for the current building. At first the idea had been to rent but after some careful number crunching and tax law scrutiny, it was found the price differential overall was minimal and James had always been of the buy not rent mentality. After careful consideration it was decided that Salt Lake City would be the western headquarters. And luckily an office building was found that was a casualty of the recent economic downturn and was bought for almost a song. Hiring was occurring on a daily basis for the supervisors and managers; the rank and file were some time off yet.

What had happened from mid-march on was a total complete change of business and practices for the entire workforce; luckily so far everyone had been flexible enough to change as well. James had brought in more people and was determined that the investment side would start up again; as soon as possible. Possible prospects were being dusted off and preparations for some of them to return to the old business were made. Another decision that James was carefully weighing was the purchase of another Jet. Now whether a Gulf Stream or a bigger one was the question. Once again chance smiled on the corporation as their Gulfstream pilot found out that in a fit of downsizing caused by business problems, one corporation was getting rid of a two year old Gulfstream that had been modified as a flying office. James had told George to jump on it and in one day the corporation had its third jet. Luckily the hanger they rented at Reagan was big enough to accommodate it as well. It was beginning to look like the big jet would once again be devoted to investment, while the two Gulfstream’s would be used for the Industrial side.

The PR firm seemed to be doing a good job; George was no longer being bothered and since he had not had to do any more interviews or any events James was happy as well. One thing that George had made a priority was to keep an eye out for any competitors as regards service centers. He was surprised that as of yet there were no other large corporations doing the same thing; so far as they could find out only companies interested in their own in house service centers were building; Lindsey had reported no drop in the number of requests for future service. No major corporations were even dropping the Indian companies for doing it themselves; when told of this James was surprised as well. But as he and George talked it over, it occurred to them that maybe those corporations were waiting for them to get the capacity; it would be simpler than doing it themselves. George was of the opinion that with the way they had started, and the way they were moving now, anyone thinking of serious competition had decided not to. But he also pointed out that it was only just 4 months from when they had started the whole thing; they had moved with blinding speed when talking about the corporate world; so maybe anyone looking at competing just had not yet gotten out of the starting blocks. James thought that if they did not start soon, they would be left with only the dregs. George agreed.

Things settled into a pattern over the next few weeks; at the office the progress was steady in the centers, while for the first time since March the investment side was once again active. James had kept a large amount of liquid assets, mainly gold and oil futures; and with prices of both at expected peaks he had decided to sell. Over $500 million were sold in just two weeks; at a profit of over $200 million. Since the taxes on those profits would be quite large, James ordered that the office building in process of purchase in SLC and the one in DC be bought outright immediately; that would save over $10 million in taxes right there. Purchase of lands for the other centers in the Northern Great Plains was expedited. The negotiations with the various Indian tribes had resulted in agreements to rent land and build the facilities; they would have 10 centers in 5 Indian areas in Arizona, New Mexico and Oklahoma. 20 centers were being planned in the Dakota’s, Montana, Wyoming and Idaho. Since that was a lot more than had been originally thought, a further administrative center would be built in Billings, Montana. It would be responsible for the plains states while the SLC office would be responsible for the Southwest. That would bring the total to 45 centers in all; which would mean in two years when they were all built and manned the total work force would be pushing 20,000.

Jennifer had gotten bug-eyed when told how big the snowball was getting. What amazed her was the relative cheap costs over all; George had estimated that total facility costs would average only about $2 million each; they had been able to land a contract with a satellite dish maker for a volume deal on 80 sets; and negotiations with satellite communications companies had come at a time when a lot of companies had gone bankrupt or cut back; there was plenty of capacity available. The data processing and backup storage part had grown as well; at least 10 of the sites would have them. One constant was the location of transportation and support facilities at each center; and it was thought that most if not all would make enough on public and private work to make them self-supporting. So for a total investment of around $120 million, they would be getting revenues in two years that would be in the neighborhood of $2 million per month per center. Which worked out to $90 million per month total; with costs estimated at only $1.5 million per center per month, $67.5 million total costs per month. When all the number crunching was done, profits could be $22.5 million per month, $270 million per year. Of course the administrative costs at the upper levels would drag that down; George had figured those costs at $25 million per year for all costs at all levels. Even counting for the misc costs that always came up, a profit of around $245 million a year was likely from gross revenues of around $1.08 billion. That was a profit margin of around 23% which was huge. Now with escalating salaries, that would cut into the profit margins by several percent in the next 5 years but it was still extremely profitable.

When Jennifer looked at a map and began to plot where the centers would be, she was impressed by how spread out they were. Actually the closest groupings of centers anywhere were the ones in Kentucky and Tennessee. Looking at that she wondered if maybe they should not look at getting more aircraft, not necessarily jets. James was pensive when she mentioned that. While jets were the thing going out west, for the centers in each area maybe that would not be such a bad idea. He decided to talk to his chief pilot. What he found out startled him some; they had really been wasting the Jet flying back and forth to Tazewell from DC. Given a good sized 2 engine prop, the time saved was only about half an hour at most. When considering the much greater costs of operating the jet, that was something to consider. He asked the pilot to look at alternatives to jets for more aircraft. With the three jets they had long range and fast travel handled; now for the short stuff. He figured they would get three twin engine prop planes, probably turbo prop, each capable of handling 8-10 passengers. With the current situation, good used ones should be relatively cheap.

The first group of trainee operators were just about finished; the building’s interior and exteriors were done; the equipment was installed and the garage was ready to open; the main building had just had the last of the electronics and computers in and were in the process of getting the software up and running. It was thought that 27th of August would be the day things started up. It had only taken a little over 5 months to go from nothing to operating. The second group of operators would be interviewed the week after Labor Day; they would be hired in the beginning of October, to start training in the last week of October, to be finished the first week in December with the operations beginning the second week in December. It was decided to start building the second one at the beginning of November. It would be done in March, with the operations starting in May; hiring would happen at the end of March.

Things had gotten quiet on the PR front; steady press releases tended to placate the ravening beast of the Media. The first of the new centers elsewhere would be finished in October, to begin operating in December. With 45 centers the current limit, it was estimated that all would be finished and operating in another 18 months.

Jennifer and the children had settled in quite well. Judy was very happy with her preschool; she would start regular school the next year. Jennifer saw no reason to hurry her into school. Alex and Jake were happy at the private school they had finally decided on; virtually all of their friends went there already. With Judy in preschool and the boys in regular school, Jennifer found herself with not much to do as James worked the regular hours. For someone that had had to do chores, school, raise her siblings, this was a very strange situation. She contemplated going to college, perhaps majoring in business administration, but did not really feel the urge. College had just never seemed that important to her. Probably because she had never thought she would be able to go. In a bit of a funk, she decided to talk to James.

James had been very aware that Jennifer was at loose ends; and that was not something that she was either suited to or used to. But he felt it was something she had to work through herself. He was glad when Sunday evening she talked to him about it.

“What in the world am I going to do with myself?”  
She announced as she sat and cuddled next to him.

“College?”

“Just do not feel the urge, I thought about business courses, but that did not really appeal. I have no burning ambition otherwise.”

“What do you want to do?”

“That is the problem; I do not know. I have never been in a position to not do something; there were always things to do, responsibilities that fell on me because there was no one else. Now that is not true as much; yes there are the children, but they are growing up and no longer take up as much time and energy, especially here and now. During the week I really have nothing to do; the mansion is pretty much on automatic with Nancy and the girls and Griggs. I have no chores like at the farm with the animals and such.”

“And I know you have no interest in TV or soaps or the like.”

“BLECCHHH!”

“So cogently put.”

“A job seems kind of stupid since what am I qualified for and what is the point?”

“Any ideas?”

“None.”

“Come to work with me. Maybe we can hit on something; and if nothing else we can spend more time together.”

So the following Monday Jennifer made sure the boys were off to school and Judy was dropped at the Day care center and then they went to work, getting there by 9. Jennifer decided to shadow James, as she was curious how he went about his work day anyway. Office first, to check EMAIL and hear what George had to report. Then as they did every Monday Morning there was a general meeting where everyone outlined what they had done and were going to do in the next week. Jennifer noticed that the Conference room was pretty packed; almost 30 people there. Sitting off to the side Jennifer started to make notes, things she though important or ideas she had as she listened. After about an hour the meeting broke up and James headed back to his office. Once there he looked at her.  
“So what was your impression; you seemed to take a lot of notes.”

Jennifer took a deep breath. “First off, why were so many there? Shouldn’t this be for supervisors instead of just about everyone in the building?”  
James thought about that. “You are right; this is a carryover from before we went to Sneedville. We need to whittle attendance down; some of the reorganizations have not settled in yet and I think both George and I need to think on it. Next?”

“Everyone seems to wing it; no one seems to be organized about how to present their information. Not much note taking.”

“Hmmm. Go on?”

“You have a company website; one of the things I have learned over the last 6 months was that you can use that sort of thing to spread information; rather than have to pull everyone together for meetings. I think you can do it so that people have to have passwords to read certain parts, so you could restrict information while still getting what is needed out to everyone. When the offices open up out west you are going to have to do that. Video conferences might be useful as well.”

James looked at her and shook his head. “This should have already occurred to us; certainly to George and myself. As a matter of fact...” and he hit the intercom. “George, could you come in here.” When he did he had Jennifer repeat herself.  
After she was done George sat for a moment then shook his head. “You are right, we should be a lot more efficient with our time and with the time of everyone else.”  
He looked at Jennifer. “You have an eye for things like that; and with what you have learned watching us the last 6 months, you see things pretty clearly.”

James was clearly thinking hard. He looked at George. “We have been working on the reorganization but I have a feeling that none of us have noticed how inefficient we have been. I bet our new organization is probably flawed as well.”

George nodded soberly. “Neither one of us has ever operated or been part of a large company. So we have no experience at it; and really no one else here does either. I am wondering if we might have to get someone in here who does know and give us some guidance. When you think of how many employees we will have in two years, and the offices and everything else spread out, I think we need to take action quickly. Luckily we have the new office building that we have the new people moving into; but just stopping by there once a week and a couple of phone calls really are not supervision; we have not gotten around to a hierarchy like we need.”

James looked at Jennifer. “We have been looking for someone to take over the Industrial Division while George here continues to operate the Investment side, but so far we have not had any luck. I think we really need to find that person soon.”

George was shaking his head. “Everyone in the other building is working hard to get the other centers built, and starting to take applications for the jobs. I think we have a good handle on the technical side of things; but I bet the employee side really needs work, and THAT will become obvious fast. We need to get control of that before we get in too deep.”

Jennifer looked at them. “Sounds like you need to hire someone away from IBM or Microsoft or the like. Some big company that has been successful; not like GM or Chrysler or some of the big wall street firms that went belly up.”

George looked thoughtful. “There are a couple of companies that specialize in Headhunting; we need to contact one. And I think there are some that also help out by looking over your company and suggesting improvements.”

James was nodding. “George, get on it now. This has priority over everything; I will take care of anything that needs a decision on. And let whoever we get know that I want results in 30 days. None of this yearlong study BS.”

George headed out. James sat back. “Jennifer, you really have made a difference in here in just an hour. George and I might have delayed and hemmed and hawed and then it would have been too late and we would have been neck deep in alligators.”

Jennifer blushed. “It’s strange; it’s like I was an observer in some movie; like a ghost. That was how it felt. Those things were going through my head and I just wrote them down.”

“I think we might have stumbled onto what you are good at; looking at things and seeing how to make improvements. Sort of like an efficiency expert. Well guess what; when those experts come in you are going to be right there with them, learning and also maybe seeing what they miss. You are new; you have not been infected by any pre conceived notions about how things are supposed to be done.” He got up and motioned her to follow. They headed out, James stuck his head in George’s door to let him know they were heading to the other office building. They went outside and got into the Cadillac James drove around in. It took them about 15 minutes to get to the new building. It looked like every other office building; there were no signs; just a building address number. James saw her looking at that.  
”We were going to have a sign saying ‘Wilkinson Enterprises, Industrial Division’, but we have not gotten around to it. They only moved in a little over two months ago.”

They walked into the building; Jennifer noted that the receptionist desk was not manned; looking closer it was clear it had not been. She looked around; some people were moving about but not many. She looked at James. He soberly nodded.  
“Yeah, I noticed that too. As bad as we are in the other building, I think it might be worse here.”  
He headed down one hall till he got to an office at the end; there was no name plate or anything so James just opened the door and walked in.

Sid was busy looking at a computer and talking on the phone; he did not notice anyone had even come in. Jennifer looked around the fairly large office; the table in the center was covered with papers; there was a big note board that had papers pinned all over it. The office looked like a tornado had come in, took a look, and left.  
James was looking at some of the notes and papers on the note board, then on the table. Finally Sid notice that his boss had appeared. He got off the phone.  
“Boss, I did not know you were coming.”

“Well that is clear, not like we told anyone. Sid, unless I miss my guess, you are swamped.”

“I guess so boss; I should have asked for help but everyone else here is pretty busy.”

“Still, you should have let us know you were swamped. Jennifer was at our meeting this morning and noticed just how disorganized we are. She had some pretty tough comments that made both George and me sit up hard.” Jennifer winced at that and James waved it off. “They were tough and they were deserved. We are nowhere near as together as we need to be now let alone in a year or so when we have 20,000 employees. We will have to make some serious changes and George is working right now on getting us help. Right now let’s go through this building and get everyone together. I am willing to bet you are not the only one swamped.”

Half an hour later in the main conference room the 62 people in the building were gathered.  
“I will make this quick as possible. I need everyone right now on one sheet of paper to describe where they are and what they need that they do not have to get their specific tasks done. Now let me emphasize THIS. I DO NOT WANT ANY HERO’s. I want honest answers from people who have too much to do and cannot get it all done. I have already found several; I am willing to bet that most if not all of you are in the same boat. Get them done and have them here in half an hour; Jennifer here will collect them. Let me say this again: you will not suffer for admitting you are in over your head and have too much to do and not enough time to do it. Thank you and get it done.” The people looked at each other then quickly left the room. James looked at Jennifer.  
“Honey, stay here and collect them. I am going to call George and see what is going on with this building. There are things that need to be done and equipment and furniture needed and it’s not here. Probably more the case that no one is responsible.”

He left the room and headed into the main lobby to the empty receptionist desk.  
“George, I am at the new office building and it’s at best half equipped. Was anyone appointed to take care of that sort of thing; from getting a receptionist that we do not have to getting anything other than computers, which are the only things anyone here has; some are using hard chairs from the break room because there are no others available.”

George sat back and sighed. “If we did I do not remember; more than likely outside of the computers it was forgotten.”

James and George talked for a few minutes and James then walked around the building, seeing what needed and taking notes was. Sometime later he got back to the conference room and found Jennifer reading the various pages. He came in and stood next to her.

“How bad is it?”

“Not good. I would say that I have read about 15 of them so far and by my count we need to triple the number of people. The good news is that so far it does not appear that we have fallen behind as regards the buildings, the equipment, that sort of thing. But just doing the interviews alone will be huge; and the applications have started to pile up. And getting the background checks done will be a monster; we have to get outside help for this big a job.”

“OK lets head out; I did a quick tour of the building and basic office furniture and chairs are needed. That is something we can do now. Let’s see if there is a phone book here, good. Not too old. OK – office furniture warehouse.”

After a couple of calls they found a place not too far away that had everything the needed. James decided they would go over there right now.

Jennifer looked around the large building; James was talking to the manager; she was wandering looking at the various furniture types. A saleswoman came up.

“Can I help you?”

Jennifer pulled out the quick list. “We need 36 office chairs, 42 desks, 6 12 foot conference tables, and 100 medium conference room type chairs. We need them as soon as possible delivered and assembled.”

The woman blinked. Then shook her head. “Do you have an idea of what types?”

“What do you have now in the numbers we need?”

The saleswoman motioned her to follow and headed towards a workstation. She quickly brought up the inventory and checked numbers and wrote some notes. She then motioned Jennifer to follow and they headed into the warehouse.

James was making a wholesale deal with the manager. “My wife will be identifying what is needed; we just want it delivered ASAP and assembled.”

It only took about half an hour for Jennifer to make the selections; they arrived back to the office area to find James waiting. “Got it all picked out?”

“All done.”

He nodded then turned to the manager. “How fast can you get them to this address?”

The manager looked at it and thought. “This will take two of our big trucks. But if they are here we should have it all delivered today. Now some of these will need assembly.”

“Give me a price to have your people work overtime tonight to finish it all by tomorrow?”

The manager frantically thought; then blurted out “50% over cost.”

“Done. How do you want to be paid?”

The sales woman had been frantically adding it all up. The Chairs will cost $350 each; that is $12600. The Desks are $175 each, that is $7350. The conference tables are $400 each that is $2400. The chairs are $75 each, that is $7500. $29800 total before tax.”

“$50,000. How do you want it?”

James and Jennifer left the bemused pair and headed back to the main office. Jennifer had been going over the papers and by the time they got back she had made some quick notes after going through all of them. They went in to his office and they sat down. He looked at her.

“Anything jump out at you.”

“Not really. Same pretty much for all of them. My early guess at having to triple this group is right for the moment. But not doing all the interviewing. And the personnel division is going to have to be built from scratch.”

“Well we figured that; and we were looking at a company to do the interviews. So we need to get that finalized. And then start building our personnel division.”

They both looked up as George poked his head in the open door. “I think we have a deal with a company to come look us over. As regards the headhunting, the company I was talking to are on it now and hope to have candidates for us next week.”

“We just bought furniture for the other building; it will be delivered tonight and assembled as well. They will work OT until it’s done. So our people there will at least have chairs and desks.”

“Lindsey has a sister that is a receptionist at a fairly big office building in Arlington. I just talked to her and offered her a raise; she does not like that place she is in. She will be in on Monday. I have contacted our own building maintenance and janitorial service and starting tomorrow they will start taking care of our new building. We were lucky that up until a couple of weeks ago another firm had the contract for that building so it will not be too bad.”

James nodded. “I had everyone there put on one sheet of paper what they needed to get their jobs done. What we are going to do now is go over each one.”

The rest of the day they went over the results; none were really shocking but the total was sobering. As each centers location had been identified, the land was bought and with a standard plan a construction company, as local as possible, was chosen, and one person was put in charge of oversight. Since the centers would all be identical, it was fairly straightforward. The Indian centers would be different since the land would be rented; but other than that there was nothing different. The office building in Billings, originally thought to have to be built, was found and purchased. Three people were in charge of getting what was needed. The building in SLC was already occupied by the workers in charge of the Southwest centers. George had managed to find someone to head the Southwest region, and he seemed to be doing a pretty good job. Of course not much was yet established out there. They were due to break ground in 5 of the Great Plains region centers in the next month and hoped to be working on all of them by December. The winter would slow down progress, so it was likely that the southwest centers would be finished first. Everyone in the Industrial office who was directly working on the Great Plains centers would be moving to Billings by December. They hoped to have everyone who was part of the southwest in SLC by the same time frame.

James and George were hopeful they had managed to catch up by the end of the day. The consultants would be in the next day and would start looking at the structure needed.

James and Jennifer were pretty worn out by the time they got home.

The consultants were in the next day bright and early. James was waiting for them.  
He handed the head of the five man team the notes that they had worked on the previous day plus what the corporation was trying to do.  
“Here is all the information we have and what we are trying to do. We need you to quickly as possible figure out an organization. Talk to whoever you need to.”

The headhunters were also in. George met them and let them know who they wanted.

Not too long after that the company hired to do the interviewing showed up and were given the results of the first hiring’s. They were told that that was the pattern to follow; get as many who lived close to the center as possible.

The rest of the week James and Jennifer worked together to try and help move things along. James initial impression that Jennifer noticed things was reinforced.

The following week things once again settled down; Jaylon became the receptionist at the industrial office and the maintenance people fixed things and got a sign out front so that people knew what the building was.

The headhunters had a candidate to take over Industrial Division and James and George talked to him and then hired him. He was moved into the one big vacant office there and gotten a secretary. Jennifer had noted that some secretaries were needed and a pool of 8 were hired and set up in one of the conference rooms. The consultants gave their first report and it mostly echoed what was already known; the specifics would come in a while.

The first 100 operators started the service center; the second 100 were interviewing. The first of November construction started on the second building and that was announced. It was made clear that interviewing would not start until January for them.

It was now pretty much set that Jennifer would act as James assistant and sounding board, and occasional warden. James had a desk and workstation set up in his office and Jennifer was soon inundated in work. George had finally broken down and gotten a secretary, which most thought was long overdue.

It was the first of November when the consultants gave their final report. It detailed their recommendations for how the Industrial Division should be organized. James, George and Sam Hamilton, the new Head of the Industrial Division, looked it over, discussed it, and finally signed off on most of it. Sam was then given the authority to get it done. James and the rest of the originals then pulled out and went back to the investment business. Jennifer found her work shifting away from the centers, as James wanted her at his side.

Some of the originals had gone back to Investments, Sarah one of them, so they had some prospects in mind. But it would take some time to do the necessary research to proceed. James then decided that he and Jennifer needed to finish their honeymoon. They took a week and went to Hawaii. Then came back very tanned and rested. Jake would be visiting for Thanksgiving; he had found that he was quite content alone, he had taken up woodcarving which he had done as a boy, and it filled his time; he had not taken a drink since March.

Right after Thanksgiving a juicy prospect had surfaced that was based in San Francisco and James decided that the investment team needed to take the big jet and head west. Jennifer came along of course; the negotiations dragged on and she was able to spend some time wandering around San Francisco. While she enjoyed it, she found that she needed to be doing. With that in mind she started to wander with a purpose; looking for businesses ripe for buyout. She went and used the laptop she had recently gotten and started to check out internet message boards that mostly talked business. What she was looking for were businesses that were rumored to be in trouble. After hours of checking and reading, she found a possibility. James had set forth the criteria for possibilities: they had to have promise; they had to have assets that could be sold; or were in a hot business line.

What she found was a small struggling company that built custom furniture. It made to order, and it created samples that they tried to sell. From what she was able to find out, they had great craftsmen and excellent creative talent, but were barely surviving because word of mouth was not good enough. She quietly visited their combination showroom and factory; and fell in love with their creations. She walked around and found a lot to love; she wanted to redecorate the entire mansion. James had given her access to the Investment account; she could write checks as big as she wanted. She also had a Visa card to die for; no practical limit. She decided to buy virtually everything they had on display; and commission a batch more. She would redecorate the living room and the master bedroom; she found a gorgeous table for the small dining room, and commissioned chairs for it. The Owner was in raptures; what she had bought and ordered would keep the business going for six months at least. Then Jennifer asked him how much for the business; that stunned him. Then he managed to say that it was not for sale. Jennifer had learned a lot about business so she then offered to buy a minority interest. He stammered and stuttered; she smiled at him and told him she really loved what she had found and wanted to keep this creative team together. At that point the young assistant woodcarver recognized Jennifer from the publicity that she had gotten earlier in the year. Apprised of this, the owner looked thoughtful. Apparently her reputation for helping the downtrodden would come in handy. He invited her into his crowded little office to talk.

Jennifer decided to be upfront. “I started out this day bored; I wanted to find a business that was in trouble so that we could buy it and either invest in it; liquidate it, or merge it with another business. James and the others are in the midst of some protracted negotiations for another company that frankly did not interest me. On the City internet board I heard about this small custom furniture company that did great work but was in trouble financially because it was just not well known enough. From what I see here it would be a crime to let this company sink. You need advertising; some kind of positive publicity that will let people know what you do. I am willing to purchase a significant minority interest; and then see to it that you get known. I am certain once you are known your business will shoot to the moon.”

The Owner had always thought that himself but in the three years it had been going it had just barely gotten along. Here was the chance to make it. But he was a very honest young man as well.  
“I really have no idea what the value is; so trying to figure out 49% is kind of hard.”

Jennifer thought about that. “Do you have your gross revenues for the last 2 years?”

He nodded and dug through the tax records and found them. Jennifer looked at them; last year gross revenue was $267,000. She remembered what James had taught her; then decided to make an offer.

“I will say that your business is worth $1 million dollars; therefore I offer $490,000 for 49%. Let’s get ahold of James and borrow one of his lawyers; then we can get this done.”

Dazed, the Owner nodded. Jennifer got out her phone. “James, could I borrow one of your lawyers? I found a small business to invest in and I want to buy 49%. It makes wonderful custom furniture; I already bought a lot and have commissioned more; I plan to totally redecorate the mansion. And I want this company to thrive; so we will need to find a way to get it known. Here is the address.”

An hour later the lawyer showed up and by the end of the day the Deal was done. And Jennifer had promised to find a way to get the company publicity. The owner was happy since he now had funds to survive for at least 2 years or more.

Jennifer knew how to get some publicity; she had been pestered by Women’s Daily and Redbook to do interviews; she would set them up and show the new furniture.

James was a little bemused but did not mind; the furniture was loaded on the jet and Sarah had fallen in love with it right away. The negotiations had finally concluded and they headed back home after 5 days in San Francisco.

Jennifer happily got rid of the old furniture, and admired the new. James had to admit he liked it as well. Jennifer the very next day called and arranged for the interviews.

Meanwhile the reorganization and construction of a bigger organization was proceeding. Sam had jumped in with both feet and was busy putting it all together. A personnel department had been started; a payroll system was in place. More people were hired for the two Regional Headquarters; work was starting on the Southwest centers.

Christmas and the New Year came and went; Jennifer was quite happy. So were the kids. Judy was as usual adorable, insisting that milk and cookies be left out for Santa.

Once the Holidays were over and the boys back in school and Judy back in preschool, Jennifer told James she wanted to get back to work. She wanted to start looking for other businesses like the furniture factory. James told her that he liked having her at his side but knew that she would be happier doing this on her own.

Jennifer felt she had found her calling; finding and rescuing worthwhile companies. James was too experienced to believe that Jennifer would have continued success; but it was what she wanted to do, so there was no way he would stand in her way.

Jennifer began to haunt the internet; looking for companies that were worthy of survival. She began to visit chat rooms that were based in cities; knowing that if there was anything worthwhile someone would talk about it.

It took her three weeks, but she read some comments about a china maker in Baltimore (she started out in the DC area, and after a couple of weeks without results, moved on to the Baltimore area) and one day she hopped in the minivan they had purchased to move the kids around in, and bring the hoard to the mansion, and took Judy along with her. She had all the appearances of a well to do Soccer mom. It took about an hour and a half to get there.

It was near the old harbor in a rickety old warehouse that might have been old enough to be a historical site itself. The sign above the door said “Fine China” and nothing else. She took Judy’s hand and walked in. It was as if she had set foot in an antique store; except all these nick nacks were new. It was not a big show room; and it appeared no one was around; so she just perused the shelves. There were several darling things that she would no doubt purchase; and she had a feeling about this place just like she had had about the furniture factory; she was glad the Women’s Monthly and RedBook would be out in a month. Finally an old Chinese woman came out and enquired if there was anything she liked. Jennifer smiled and pointed out four or five items she wanted. While the old woman started to wrap them up, Jennifer asked if there were any plates, etc. The old women nodded and after wrapping up the items guided Jennifer through a side door. It was a room perhaps 20 by 20 and there were old tables laden with China. Very fine China. It did not take her long to buy several sets. She then asked if more would be made. The old woman nodded and said “Husband and Son making some now; need to sell more to make more.” Jennifer nodded; then asked if she could see how they did it; old woman thought then nodded and led her through another door.

Hot and noisy; that was what best described it. She watched the old man and a middle aged man work on glass; carefully blowing some; others were put in kilns; china in various stages. Jennifer looked around and nodded. She indicated that she wanted to talk and the old woman led her into a small office impeccably neat.  
Jennifer got right to the point. “You need money to make more china.”  
The old woman nodded.  
“If more people knew about this you would sell a lot more.”  
The old woman nodded again.  
“I would like to invest in this business. I would also work to get more people to know about this beautiful work. I would like to buy just less than half the business; that way you would still control it.” She handed the old woman a card she had made up:  
‘Jennifer Wilkinson; Wilkinson Investments’ with her phone number.  
“Talk it over with your husband and son. Contact me if you want to do business.”  
Then she paid for her purchases and took Judy home.  
James was rather impressed with the China; maybe Jennifer would have more success than he had thought.

Meanwhile the old woman talked to her husband and her son; also her grandson who still went to school but would one day work in the business. Her grandson looked at the card; then he looked at his grandmother.   
“What was she like?”  
“She like soccer mom.”  
Bemused, her son got out his laptop and decided to see what he could find out about Wilkinson Investments. What he found stunned him. He looked at his grandmother.  
“This woman is married to a very wealthy man. She has the money to back up the talk.”  
After some more discussion it was agreed to talk to her again. The grandson had a friend whose father was a lawyer. He decided to talk to him first.  
The lawyer was not a business expert but was able to give advice:  
“Decide how much the business was worth and sell her 49%.”

Jennifer was happy to hear back from them and was quite pleased to write out a check for $750,000 for 49%. Now she had to figure out how to get publicity to it.  
As it turned out it was not so hard. RedBook and Women’s Monthly had come out and she was contacted by several other women’s periodicals; and she invited others to come and take pictures and talk to her about her decorations and such. So she was able to get a fair amount of publicity to “Fine China.” She heard back from the Furniture Factory that they were getting orders and visitors at a fast clip; word was spreading.

By the end of January construction work had begun on all the remaining centers; most of the ones in the East were nearing completion. Hiring had been completed for all of those centers and their attendant facilities. They would wait until the buildings were ready to start training. The office buildings were all on line and fully occupied. The reports from the consultants had been gone over and most of their suggestions acted on. It had been decided to get another office building just for the Industrial Division; the current building would be the office center for the eastern centers. Each region would handle all of their own personnel as regards the sections; the Industrial division would handle the Regional Office personnel. Therefore the Industrial Division office would need to be quite good sized; several people were going over the immediate area looking for the office building they needed. James was very firm about not sharing an office building.

Due to the winter conditions it was clear that the Southwest Regions centers would be done first, despite being the last to start. The SLC office was being careful about the hiring; deciding to have the various Indian tribes in on the process. James had no problem with this when Sam asked him. The plight of the Indians, despite things getting better because of Casino’s, convinced him that if they only hired Indians he would have no problem with it.

Helping out the Indians gained the corporation more brownie points; political and social. James found that he and Jennifer were beginning to get a lot of invitations to social and political events; Jennifer actually getting more than him. IT was getting out that Jennifer on her own was helping out troubled companies and that was impressing people immensely. James found himself starting to get courted by various political candidates; and stayed out of it. Jennifer found herself being courted by various Female Political candidates, and followed James lead in staying out of it.

However some social events were important enough for them to attend. One came up early in February; it was a big todo in DC about charities and social development and the like. George had advised them to go; would not look good to avoid them all and if you are only going to do a couple make it the big ones. This one was a White House affair as well; so with their invitation from the First Lady James and Jennifer agreed they had to go to that one. Jennifer figured the dress that she had gotten last year would do but James said NO; a new one for certain. Jennifer then countered that he would get a Tuxedo as well. James grumbled but agreed. Jennifer wanted to go to the same couturier that she went to before and he agreed. So they decided to take a Limo to New York rather than use one of the company aircraft. The weather was good enough that it was not a problem.

The couturier of course remembered Jennifer and was pleased she was asked again; when told the event she told them she had just the dress; just right for a lovely young woman who was not a stick or a blond. It was gorgeous; deceptively simple; deep black with a strapless bodice and it glittered. When Jennifer put it on the assistant barely had to do any alterations at all. It was whisked off and the work done on it immediately. James thought she had never looked so beautiful.

The event was to say the least star studded; lots of Hollywood types as well as the usual political and social types. Not many Industry people; James was just about the only one there that was not Hollywood, Wall Street, Political or old party hand. Jennifer was buttonholed immediately by the Vice President’s wife who wanted to know more about the two businesses she had rescued; she had seen pictures but wanted to know more. She called the First Lady over and they along with a couple of politically well-connected Hollywood types gushed over the furniture and china. Joe Lieberman grabbed James and soon had him in talks with some Congressmen regarding the service centers.

Jennifer managed to hold her own; despite being just 18 and less than a year removed from Sneedville, Tennessee. One of the Hollywood actresses had a producer boyfriend; he asked her if anyone had approached her about modeling or acting. His significant other laughed “Even as young as she is she is smarter than to get involved in that meat market.” Jennifer blushed and said “Not like anyone has offered; and frankly I would wonder if it was not a way to get money out of my husband. I am not tall enough for a model, and how anyone could think I can act is a mystery.” The Vice President’s Wife laughed “See? She already knows the game.” With that the subject was dropped. The First Lady asked “How are the Service Centers doing?” Jennifer smiled “They are all under construction; the last will be done in March or April, depending on the weather. Already 3 are operating counting Sneedville; about five more will be operating in the next few weeks. It looks like all of the ones out East will be running by March. At the moment, and so far it looks like that will be the final count, we will be employing 20,000 total by the end of this year.” They were all suitably impressed. The Hollywood boyfriend asked “And this was all started last March?” at Jennifer’s nod “I can say for sure that nothing happens that fast in Hollywood.” The First Lady grimaced “Or in Washington for that matter.”

James was basically giving the same answers to Lieberman and the Congressmen, all of whom had districts with Service centers either in or building. The Sneedville Congressman was quite happy. “In Hancock county the Unemployment rate has fallen from 21.6% to 5% with the recent hires. In my district as a whole unemployment has dropped by 20%. My staff has estimated that in addition to the 450 jobs directly created, another 300 have been started. And that number will increase. And that will hold true for just about every center. Since there are two in my district, that is 1500 new good paying jobs. And all that activity has other knock on benefits.“ The other Congressmen were quite pleased with those numbers; their reelection bids would be strengthened.

Jennifer was finally able to escape with a run to the bathroom; she used that as a way to slip away from the movers and shakers and hangers on. James took longer but finally got away and they as agreed met near the Refreshments area; he looked at her and asked “Ready to go?” Her vigorous nod spoke volumes and he smiled and off they went.

Jennifer had not been aware of it but some photographers assigned to specifically follow the First Lady had gotten several pictures of her with the group. They were prominently displayed that Sunday in the society and political pages devoted to that party.

Looking at them, James was very proud how fresh and unaffected Jennifer looked; very young and beautiful. And the simplicity of her dress certainly compared favorably to some of the really awful dresses that were there.

Jennifer was a little surprised to get several calls asking who the designer of her dress was; she was happy to do so but a little puzzled. A few days later she received a card from the couturier informing her that she had suddenly gotten a lot of clients because of how Jennifer had looked at the event. And asking her to come back any time she needed a special dress.

That out of the way they returned to life as normal. With the organizations and final hiring’s done at the regional level, pressure on Sam and the Industrial division had eased. The new office building had been found and purchased, and they would be moving to it soon. Things had reached the point where everyone was doing what they had done before; nothing new or different.

Jennifer looked at the calendar and realized that the one year anniversary of meeting James was coming up. March 16. She sat and thought about the incredible changes that had happened in just one year. Not just for her, either. Her family, Hancock County, other counties across the nation. She knew a lot of people thought that James had started all this just to impress her. She had never directly asked him; she felt that it was not true. She believed that he wanted to help her because he was attracted to her; but actually starting a business, no. But she could not deny that it made her feel good.

James also noted the day; he sat back and thought about it all. Even now he was not sure how much being attracted to Jennifer motivated him. Pay the bail and the fine, yes. He was not sure himself about the rest. But he was certain of one thing; he would not have done anything if he had not met her and spent some time there; which he would not have done otherwise. The money making part only became clear once some research was done; he had no way of knowing just how profitable it would become. Jennifer had not ever really come out and asked him; and unless she did he would not say anymore. There was no point anyway; what had happened was so far beyond what anyone could have predicted. He only knew for certain how happy he was now.

James decided they needed to celebrate, but was not sure how to do it. He thought going back to Sneedville and seeing the changes might be good. He decided to talk to Jennifer that evening.

Jennifer had been looking for several weeks for prospects; but nothing had come up that looked really promising. Everything she had checked out on closer examination had not matched up. She had moved right up the seaboard from Baltimore to NYC; then to Philadelphia, now Boston. So far nothing, she was starting to think that maybe she had just been lucky with the two that she had found. She decided to give it the rest of the week then tell James she wanted to go back to working with him; she knew he liked her being with him and she did as well. James came in to talk to her.

“How about celebrating the one year anniversary of our meeting by going to Sneedville and looking at all of the changes?”

“Sounds good. I can see father; as a matter of fact take the kids to see him; let’s do it this Saturday.”

“OK.” He looked at what she was doing. “No luck?”

“I am beginning to think I was just lucky. Almost four weeks of looking and nothing has come up. It’s getting old. So I am giving it till the end of this week then I am going to go back to sitting in your pocket.”

“Sounds good to me. I know you want to do things on your own, but I really like you with us and you spot things so it’s not like you do not contribute. Besides making me feel happier when you are with me.”

So that Saturday they used one of the prop jobs that had been purchased; it was smaller and slower than the jets but the kids did not mind and it only took half an hour longer. A minivan was waiting at Tazewell, and they headed to Sneedville.

Jennifer looked around as they got into town; the service center was half full of cars; the new building had its exterior done, it was estimated to be another month before it began operations; the new people were already training. She looked at the new fast food places and the new hardware store; there was also other construction going on. It was a huge change from what it had been a year ago.

James looked at Jennifer. “This is a lot busier than it was last year. There seems to be life here now. Frankly last year it was dead.”

Jennifer nodded. “It was dying. Now it’s alive.” They headed out of town towards the farm.

They spent the rest of the morning and part of the afternoon at the farm; Jennifer got Nell out and took off for a ride. The boys were interested in the woodcarving their father had done; James took Judy for a nice long walk.

Jennifer had not had much of a chance to ride Nell in the last year; this felt good; the weather was warmer than it had been the last year; upper 50’s and sunny. She just wandered the old familiar paths. But somehow it was all different; then she had been a 17 year old with no real future; now she was married to a fine man who happened to be rich; she actually owned parts of two now successful businesses and lived in a mansion in Washington DC. She made it to her favorite hideaway and got off; this long without riding kind of told on you. She sat down on the ground in the sun and just thought about it all.

James slowly took Judy around her old home; to the barn to see the animals, and all around. He could not imagine a sweeter little moppet. He hoped to have a little one like her someday.

Later that night, back at the mansion, the kids in bed, James and Jennifer cuddled in front of the fire. Jennifer had been very quiet since she got back from her ride. James just snuggled and waited; if she wanted to talk she would.

Jennifer stared into the fire, snuggled with James. Finally she looked up at him.  
“Have I lately told you how much I love you?”

“Not for a day or two.”

Quietly “When do you want children?”

Wow. This is unexpected. “Whenever you do.”

“I think it’s time.”

“Honey, this is kind of surprising. You had been pretty sure you were going to wait a couple of years.”

“I want my children when I am young; and let’s face it; by the time, especially if we have several, they are teenagers you will be in your fifties at least. Gonna be hard to keep up with them.”

“Honey, base when you want children on when YOU want them; don’t worry about me.”

“This is the two of us; everything has to be considered. And that is a factor that has to be considered. But most of all, today I spent a lot of time thinking, and finally it just all clicked. Time to start MY family, not just help raise my siblings.”

“Honey, you have considered them your children for years.”

“But I did not give birth to them; I want to feel my stomach grow, feel the baby inside me moving, nurse my child. Even Judy is getting to the point she really does not need me much; she will be starting regular school in the fall. The boys are growing like weeds and have not really needed me for a while. And I want to see you holding our child.”

James was quiet for a while. “Whenever you want, as many as you want. I will love and cherish everyone you give me.”

Jennifer smiled softly. “Then I stop taking the pill now. The doc told me last time I went that it would take 3-6 months before I could conceive. Since I have only been on the pill two years, the effects will probably be gone in 3.”

James stood up and picked Jennifer up and carried her up the stairs, despite her laughingly telling him that she wanted him to save his energy for later.

The weeks went by and Jennifer went back to acting as James assistant; they made some good business deals and acquired a small manufacturing plant that made auto parts.

More and more of the service centers began to come online; almost 2/3 were running. The rest were expected to be up by fall. Sam reported that demand was finally dropping for more; but that research indicated that was because they had cornered the market on over 90% of the available business. Many companies had multiyear contracts with Indian companies; he had ordered that inquiries be sent to all that had Indian contracts stating Service Center terms. He did not believe that they should start up any more centers at the time. He suggested a wait of about 6 months, but that tentative plans should be made for at least 5 more centers. They could be fairly quickly set up if the demand came. It was clear that they had no real competition in the US. The latest numbers indicated that projected expenses were down 10%, while revenue was up 5%.

Jennifer had been thinking about all of this and quietly suggested to James that perhaps a yearend bonus for all employees might be a thought. Since profits would be very high and expenses would be lower than thought. He considered that; and countered how about giving the bonus based on how long they had been employees. $100 for each month; Jennifer thought that quite a good idea. James discussed it with George and Sam who agreed that it would make the employees happy and be very good for recruiting. Jennifer suggested giving it by December 1; that way people would have it for Christmas. James agreed and ordered the number crunchers to figure out the cost. It came back at a little over $25 million. But the projected profit at the end of the year would be $150 million.

It was the beginning of May and Jennifer had been feeling a little queasy the last couple of days; as she lay in bed that morning she suddenly remembered that her period was overdue; and she had always been very regular. Her eyes grew wide as she thought again about the queasy feeling- could it be morning sickness, only milder then she expected? But she had only been off the pill two months- could it happen that fast? She decided to quietly get a pregnancy test. By chance she was going to take Judy in for a checkup that day; so she had a chance to do it without anyone noticing.

Jennifer was on pins and needles; the doctor appointment was at 10; she took Judy back to Daycare at noon; then stopped at a drug store and got two separate tests. She had taken both and was now waiting anxiously for the results. One would have two blue lines for a positive; the other had a pink + sign. They both did it slightly differently so she felt fairly confident if they agreed. Of course if they were negative or conflicted, then she would just toss them and wait another week to see if the symptoms disappeared.

It was time. She looked.

James missed having Jennifer at his side; not only did it make work nicer she was a real help; she had an eye for missed details. He got in at 4, a little earlier than usual, and headed up to see Jennifer. He found her in the master bathroom, sitting on the toilet seat; just sitting there staring. Worried he got close to see what she was staring at. Then he realized what it was and moved to her.

“Honey?”

She looked at him. There were tears in her eyes.

“Hello Daddy.”

Later that evening they cuddled on the sofa. The Boys had been excited; Judy had been a little worried until Jennifer had told her she would always be her little girl. Jennifer had then called her father.

“Daddy?”

“Jenn, Hon, what’s up?”

“You ready to be a grandpa?”

“Jenn do you mean…?”

“Yes daddy you are going to be a grandpa in about 8 months or so.”

Jennifer then called Lydia and Jessica and she talked for quite a while there.

James sat and thought about things while Jennifer talked on the phone. This changed everything in a way; of course the kids had been here but a baby was a whole different story. And Jennifer; things would change there as well. He wondered if she would want to keep working.

Jennifer finally got off the phone and went to cuddle. She felt so very good; she felt just right.

James decided that he needed to talk about it; some decisions needed to be made.  
“Hon, I can guess that you will want to work as long as you can?”

“Yes. I mean once I get so big I waddle then I will be staying home; but up until around my seventh month probably.”

“And after the baby?”

“Good thing we have the jets. No problem at all having a crib there.”

James blinked. “You mean you want to bring the baby when we travel on business?”

“Sure. Of course when we are having a meeting I will have to make sure the baby does not drown things out. We might have to check the soundproofing on the rear cabins in the jets. But other than that I see no reason not to. Like I said its good we have the jets. Flying commercial air with a baby; forget it.”

James was almost giddy at that; it would also mean he would get to spend a lot of time with his child, more than most fathers.

Jennifer grinned; sometimes James was so easy to read.  
“I may come from the backwoods, but I am still a modern girl, James.”

“May this modern man show this modern girl how much he loves her?”

“I think that can be arranged.”

Time went by and outside of a few interesting food cravings, Jennifer did not seem to change any for several months, until a bulge did start to grow. One thing did change: Jennifer found herself very horny. On occasion locking the office door or the rear cabin door on the jets and then attacking with intent. James did not in any way object to this.

By September, Jennifer was beginning to show, but otherwise was carrying on as normal. All of the centers were operational; and at near capacity. Sam’s research and careful probing indicated that there would be a surge of need in the next year; 5 more centers were started in the southwest. And James ordered preliminary work on 5 more after that. Unless serious demand surfaced, that would be it. Wilkinson Enterprises now employed 21000 people all together. The bonus suggested by Jennifer was being figured and prepared; it would total almost $30 million dollars; James had decided that George and the others who had worked so hard would get a serious bonus.

Jennifer was also very happy with the two businesses she had invested in; both were doing very well. The furniture shop was moving into a bigger facility due to demand; and the China Shop had added extra workers. She had asked that any profit that would have come her way be invested back into the businesses. She still now and then looked for another, but only when she had spare time. She was quite content with her pregnancy to work with James; it was interesting and the time flew by. Judy was now in first grade (they had decided to skip kindergarten and she was old enough) and Jake was now in 6th grade and Alex in 3rd grade. With all the children in school all day it meant that staying home would be very boring; Jennifer had decided to work as long as she could; when it was no longer a good thing to fly she would stay in the office.

James had managed not to hover too much around Jennifer; it was hazardous to his health to do that too much. He found out that a pregnant woman had dangerous mood swings.

By Thanksgiving Jennifer was beginning to slow down; she was not yet waddling but it was not too far off. James thought she was more beautiful than ever, Jennifer did not think so but loved him all the more because she could tell he meant it. They flew in to have time with her father; and found out he was seeing a woman. Jennifer found that she was happy for him; the older woman was a few years younger than Jake, and was a widow without children. Interestingly she was working at the data center. Glad that her father was not lonely anymore, Jennifer quite happily welcomed her.

As December first came close, the bonus checks were mailed out. This interestingly made news; and as it turned out in the elections just held every single congressman that had a district where a center was established won reelection. So once again political attention came their way; not that they wanted it. The Nightly News did an update, talking about the big changes in Sneedville and elsewhere, topping it off with a picture of a very pregnant Jennifer. She was not happy about that, even when James claimed she looked beautiful.

Jennifer’s due date had been estimated to be Feb 15, but her doctor had told her that she could be a few weeks early. So they figured after the New Year she would stick close to home. James had been going to stay with her, but she shooed him off to work. She had been trying to learn to knit, and had decided to see if she could discover anymore businesses. So she stayed home.

Jennifer was trying to not think about giving birth; figuring there was no point worrying about it. The nursery was ready; all preparations done. Now she just had to wait. After trying for a week, she gave up knitting; it just was not her. So she went back to the old standby of surfing the Net and chat rooms. Looking for possibilities. After a week looking she thought they might have a possibility. It was a company in Pittsburgh; they recreated classic cars; either from the ground up or found the parts and put one together. Jennifer was not very knowledgeable about cars, but the chat room she happened upon had numerous people raving about this company’s ability to bring the past alive. That also brought her into contact with the world of living history, which surprised her at its apparent size. Marking the auto recreation company to be looked into, she got into the world of living history. She noticed that there were a fair number of companies that catered to that world. Checking some forums, she found that the quality varied widely. She found herself getting interested in the Living History world.

Since basically she could do very little but sit on her ever widening rear end, she began to look into the various era’s. There was ancient history, from Egypt to Greece to the Roman Empire; then there was Medieval Europe; then another fairly big area based around the British Civil war, then another large group interested in American Colonial and the American Revolution. The biggest group in the US, and perhaps the world was the US Civil War, and the post civil war era, mostly the Wild West. There was some interest in periods after that, with a fairly big interest in WW2. Reproductions were the name of the game pretty much, from parts of daily life to reenactments of battles with sometimes thousands of participants. She could see that while there were good reputable companies making those items, there were also too many that were clearly just out to make a quick buck. From what research she could do, many items were made in Pakistan and India, especially clothing, cheaply but the middlemen were gouging like crazy. Getting deeper into the area, she found that there were no real major players; no big companies. Now this was an area that she had heard George talk about as being big with those with discretionary income, and would be hard hit in bad economic times. But she found that this did not appear to be true; from what she could see it had suffered no more than other areas. Interesting.

As the days went by Jennifer found herself digging deeper and slowly coming to the realization that this might be an area ripe for a large company to come in and make a big splash. Just about every company specialized in one area; none generalized. It would take a great deal of research and digging through old documents and historical records to reproduce accurate items from the Civil war on up; prior to that period it was strictly examples found in museums and letters from people of the time. And for Roman and periods before that, even harder. But she could also see that there would be a lot of people who would jump at the chance to help start something like that up. The passion so many had to realistically portray and re live history was astonishing.

James was glad that Jennifer appeared to have found something interesting; these last few weeks before the birth were very hard on someone used to being active. The doctor had told them she was in excellent health and there appeared to be no problems, but James worried anyway.

Jennifer felt she had gotten enough information to talk to James so one night she did.

“James, have you ever heard of Living History?”

He looked at her, perplexed, then shook his head.

“Take a look at this.” Then she showed him some of the web sites and pictures.

James was fascinated; he had never heard of it and he was willing to bet most people were like him. He recalled some things from the 1990’s when they were celebrating the 50th Anniversary of D-Day, but that was all. Jennifer had really gotten into it over the last couple of weeks; and he could see why. He looked at her.  
“So what do you want to do?”

“Most of the companies involved in reproductions are not all that good at it. Some because they don’t care; some because they just do not do the research. Probably do not have the resources to do research on any real scale. There are good companies out there but not many. I would look at buying out some of them and expanding their product lines; and by having good researchers finding detail drawings, diagrams, and actual items to copy. Up until the 1700’s mass production or standardization did not exist. The British really led the way as regards having standards written down and followed. One of the reasons the Royal Navy was supreme for so long. What we need above all else is dedicated researchers and historians; something no company currently has the resources for. I think if we do this we first get researchers and historians that really want to do it; it cannot be just a job. And then look at some of the companies involved and buy some of them. It would be best to have those already experienced in making the items. Another thing is that we can also get experts and hire them out to Hollywood; and make things for movies and TV shows. I think there could be some serious money there. I would as regards the more modern era’s like WW2 also look for and rebuild vehicles and the like. The Commemorative Air Force, which was the Confederate Air Force before the PC types forced them to change, does this with air craft. One area that no one has gotten into is ships; I can imagine movies and tv shows would love to have actual replicas of old sailing ships or even Civil War Ironclads. I admit this one might not make a lot of money but it would be incredibly interesting.”

James had never seen her so enthused; she really wanted to do this. That alone was reason enough; but she was right in that this sounded incredibly interesting. And it’s not like they needed any more money; and if the business lost money for a year or two, they could take it off the corporate taxes. So really what would they lose?

“OK. You have sold me. Where do we start?”

“Contact some living history types; the ones that have the enthusiasm. Start there and hire some of them; then start looking at everything. Start checking out the companies. Like Smoke and Fire, for Colonial items.”

The next day James called in some of the younger people who had been hired in the investment area in the last year.

“Here is what I want you to do. Investigate Living History, and the companies that make items for it. I want in one week a comprehensive report on the entire industry.”

The very next day, Feb 1, Jennifer got up slowly; she usually slept in now, and had to roll out of bed. She now waddled, which she hated. Slowly she walked down the stars. Just as she got to the bottom a searing pain erupted in her back; she gasped and held onto the banister as the spasm slowly eased. She wondered if this was a labor pain; she had had some mild ones in the last week, which had been expected. This was much worse. She carefully moved into the dining area. About an hour later, she was in her study room with her computer looking up more living history data when it hit again. After it passed she called her obstetrician. She told her that it might very well be labor but that she should keep track of the timing, the severity, and anything else. If there was anything that felt wrong, call right away. She was near her due date so this could be it; but even if it was, since this was her first it could last as long as a day or even more. Cheered up by that bit of good news, Jennifer rung off.

By noon it was once an hour; she told Nancy who scolded her for not telling her sooner; she flat out forbade her telling James since it seemed clear this would be going on for quite a while. As the afternoon wore on, the pains steadily increased their frequency. Another call at 3 PM and her doctor told her that it did seem like labor and that when the frequency hit 30 minutes or her water broke she needed to come in. At that point they were 45 minutes apart. At 4 the kids, who all went to the same school, got home. Jennifer greeted them as usual and had them change and get ready for dinner, which was usually around 5. By the time James got home at 430, the pains were now just under 40, minutes apart. She had been told not to eat anything, so she made an excuse not to eat.

James had a feeling something was going on; the way Nancy was watching Jennifer said something but he did not know what. When he realized that Jennifer was not eating he went to Nancy who shook her head; he went to the study where Jennifer was just in time to see her have another contraction. He stood there stunned but before he could say anything she beat him to it.  
“Yes I am in labor; it started this morning and this contraction happened 35 minutes after the last one. The doctor said when they hit 30 come in. So you WILL eat dinner, then we will go to the hospital.”

Without anything really to say he just nodded and went back to the dining room.

Jennifer had gotten her bag of things down earlier in the afternoon and they were in her study. All she had to do was put on a coat and head to the car. Thinking about it she called the driver; he was still at work.

“Josh, you need to bring the Limo, we will be going to the hospital and I do not want James driving. How soon can you get here? Good enough.”

James came by minutes later and she told him the Limo would be coming and no arguing. Once again with nothing to say he just nodded. He told her the kids had been told and wanted to see her. She held up her hand as another contraction hit; she groaned at this one. He paled. Taking deep breaths she told him to bring them in.

Wide eyed they came in. Jennifer had them sit down.  
“Kids, we have talked about this. James and I will be leaving in a few minutes to go to the hospital where I will be having this baby. I do not know how long I will be gone; at least a day probably, maybe two. When I come back we will have a brand new baby to take care of. Now give me a hug.”

As was to be expected Judy, though now 6, was still the closest to Jennifer; the only mother she had ever known. Jennifer spent a few minutes comforting her. They had made a decision to not know whether they were having a boy or a girl. She kind of hoped it was a boy so that Judy would not feel threatened.

They left not long after; it was only 15 minutes to Georgetown Hospital. They arrived before the next contraction had hit; she was in the wheelchair headed for the Birthing Center when it did; 31 minutes after the last one. Her doctor was waiting for her.  
“31 minutes. Pretty good. Let’s have a look. OK. You are dilated 5 CMs. We like to go at 8; since your water has not broken this is good. Let’s get you situated and wait it out.”  
James had been determined to be with her and had gotten his gown and cap and booties. He camped next to her bed. Her doctor encouraged her to get up and walk while she could.

And the wait went on; the contractions slowly coming faster; and getting stronger; by midnight, they were 7 minutes apart and the doctor examined her again.  
“OK, you are at 8 CMs. Good. Your water is going to break soon; this is just about a text book first time. Let’s get you up, keep letting gravity help.”  
She was walking when her next contraction hit at 5 minutes; and her water broke. She was taken back to her bed and situated for birth. Her next contraction came at 3 minutes; her doctor and James right there.  
“OK Jennifer, let’s give the baby one more contraction; and then we will push.”

If James had thought it was hard to have Jennifer in pain before it was worse now; she cried out and groaned and moaned, but she did not scream. Her doctor said  
“Jennifer, you must have a high pain threshold. By now most women are cursing a blue streak and telling their husbands they will never get any ever again.”

After almost a half hour the baby was finally born.

“You have a healthy baby boy; and he is good sized. Let’s Apgar him now.”

Jennifer was shaking and crying; James just held her as the afterbirth was delivered. Then the baby was brought to them.  
“8 pounds even; 23 inches. Good sized; excellent apgar score.”

Jennifer was without words as she held her son; he started to snuffle and almost without thinking she opened her gown and brought him close to her breast; he latched on and began suckling lustily; James was awed.

“This is very good; nursing this hard right after birth is fairly rare but a good thing.”

James remembered his promise; he looked at the clock; it was almost 2AM.  
“Hon, do you want me to call your father?”

“Yes, please.”

A phone was brought to him and he made the call.

“Jake, you are a grandfather. Boy, 8 lbs even, very healthy and the doctor is very happy indeed. Jennifer is actually nursing him right now; she is fine. I guess she will stay in through tomorrow and will be home the next day from what the doctor says. OK see you on Saturday. Jennifer will call you tomorrow evening.”

Jennifer was taken back to the room; the baby James carried so very carefully. A crib was placed next to Jennifer’s bed. She managed to stay up long enough to see the baby situated then she fell asleep as the exhaustion hit. James just sat there looking at the baby and at Jennifer; he could not imagine ever feeling better than he did at that moment. After a while he nodded off.

About an hour later the baby started to cry and James came awake; the nurse was there as he got out of his chair; Jennifer was still asleep; the nurse checked the baby and changed him; James watched the process carefully; the nurse then handed him the baby and told him to just hold and talk to him. James did so and after a while the baby was asleep again and he put him in the crib. He sat down and dozed off. Like clockwork the baby cried in one hour and James came away and got to the baby first this time; he did not need to be changed and the nurse then quickly woke Jennifer who was groggy but held her arms out; James carefully transferred the baby and Jennifer had him nursing in seconds. The nurse nodded approvingly and left the room. Jennifer told him to get a small towel and get ready to burp him; after about 10 minutes he was done and Jennifer told him how to burp the baby; it worked and not three minutes later the baby was asleep. And so was Jennifer. He stayed up for a while, then nodded off.

Almost like clockwork every hour the baby either nursed or needed to be changed. James did not wake Jennifer for the changes, only the nursing. The doctor came by at 9 and checked the baby; she was quite happy. She then checked Jennifer.  
“Well I will come by about 1, if things look as well then as they do now I think you can go home, Jennifer. You are doing as well as anyone could hope; the baby is fine.”

After she left Jennifer sat holding the baby, who was already back to sleep. She looked at James. “We never did decide on a name.”

James nodded. He had no strong beliefs on a name; just as long as it was normal.

Jennifer held the baby and thought; then smiled. “James. We can call him Jim.”

“No, let’s make it Jim.”

“OK. Jim it is. Middle name?”

“Does he need one?”

“No. So he is Jim Wilkinson, Son of James and Jennifer Wilkinson. Lots of J’s.”

“Works for me.”

He then remembered work and called George.

“George we have a healthy baby boy. Jennifer is fine. He will be named Jim. No middle name, just plain Jim Wilkinson. Well since this is a Friday, do not expect to see me until sometime next week; we will see how things work out. Any decisions to be made you make them. I am off the clock until further notice. We hope to go home this afternoon; which reminds me. Get the jet to Tazewell tomorrow to bring Jennifer’s father in. He will probably go back Sunday; keep the jet on standby just in case. Well then I will see you on Saturday then.”

“George will come and visit on Saturday. I guess we can expect flowers and the like.”

The doctor ok’d them to leave at 1 and James called the office to have the limo show up. Everything went well and by 3 they were home. The kids were home from school by 4 and were eager to see the baby. James had called Nancy and she had told them when they had woken up that morning. Jennifer was carefully put to bed and did not protest as she was still tired; the baby did not yet allow them to sleep more than an hour at a time. Judy seemed happy it was a boy though told Jennifer that the next one needed to be a girl as there were too many boys around.

Jake came on Saturday, and left that evening, saying he needed to tend to the animals. He had held Jim and told Jennifer “I just wish your mother had lived to see him.” Jennifer had smiled a little mistily “I think she has.”

The next week was an exhausting one; while Jim slowly slept longer, it still was less than two hours at a time. Both of them found their time split between resting and sleeping and tending the baby. By the end of the following week, Jim was starting to sleep sometimes as long as 3 hours. Jennifer told James to go back to work the next Monday, overriding his objections by telling him that since Jim was sleeping longer she could handle it, and he would get plenty of baby time on the weekend.

Two weeks after the birth, Jim was growing and seemed to have lots of energy. Jennifer was still in wonder as she nursed her son. The feelings she got every time she did it made her want to cry. She was glad now for the experience she had gotten tending Judy as a baby; this seemed old hat in one way; and totally different in another. Jim was her child, from her body, and that still over whelmed her.

Now that he slept for several hours at a time, she was able to start to get back to her old routine. She figured to wait about 3-4 months before going to work; already James had gotten a crib and other necessary items to go into his office; luckily it was quite big enough once they removed the central table. Jennifer’s idea that maybe she could get her own office had been vetoed by James; he wanted them in his office.

James had given her the report generated by the office on her ideas about Living History; he had right after the baby was born told them to not be in such a hurry since they would not be reading it anytime soon; so they had taken an extra week and it showed by the extensive research.

Jennifer read it carefully; nothing in it contradicted what she had learned; only fleshed it out more. She was glad to see her initial thoughts validated; and was more determined than ever to move on it. They had given financial reports on the major reproduction companies. Quartermaster Corps stood out for the large product line and how expensive it was. Part of the report indicated that many items were made in Pakistan for as little as 10% of what was charged in the US. That appeared to be fairly common. Most companies were small, very few were as big as Quartermaster, which really was not big either. Jennifer wondered what would be the cost of manufacturing them in the US. Certainly more expensive than Pakistan or Indian, even with transportation costs. But when looking at the retail price charged, it would seem to be a possibility. Jennifer was thinking of the Deep South, where labor was very cheap; this would not be a job needing great skills either; and cotton was readily available. Wool, another key need, could be easily gotten out west. Especially in the northern great plains where they already had contacts and resources.

Jennifer began to take notes, beginning to see where she thought the need was. There were numerous small companies making items that were expensive simply because the production rate was so small. Now if someone were to combine those companies, each one specializing in say 5-10 items in quantity, then the cost would go down. And the company in question would have a steady revenue flow. Consolidation and specialization; that was the key. Also seeing to it that the items made were indeed real accurate in both form and content. All this would also bring down the cost of Living History, allowing more people to become involved. If items were easy to get and reasonable in price, more would buy.

It took another week but Jennifer felt she had put together a decent proposal. Jim was sleeping more, and longer, and when awake was not demanding as much attention. So she was able to get other things done. She decided to have James look over it on the weekend. Looking at the calendar she was startled to see that it would soon be 2 years since she met James. This last year especially had flown by.

Meanwhile in San Francisco the accountant that the Furniture Creators had hired to do their taxes was talking to the owner.

“With the move this last year, we can deduct most of those costs and that will help a lot. I noticed that you sold 49% of the business last year; what was that?”

“We were barely hanging on and this young girl walks in and just about buys everything we had completed. Well that was really good; but what was better is she asks to buy the business. I of course said no; then she offers to buy 49%. And basically she calls a lawyer working for her husband and he comes over and in a couple hours it’s done. All the money we used to get the new place came from her. She asked me to email her now and then; and then just a few months ago she asked if we had any baby items; and she promptly bought them and had them shipped to where she lives, Washington, DC. That is pretty much it.”

The accountant looked at the name and then it clicked. “Wilkinson. Of Wilkinson Enterprises?”

“That is her. She got a interview in RedBook and some other Women’s magazine I cannot remember; she made it a point to show our furniture and within weeks of those magazines coming out we were on our way. We have a reputation now and are doing fine as you can see from the numbers. Really nice young lady; she was only 18 when she came in.”

“This evaluation of company worth of $1 million dollars was excessive at that time, though it would be low now.”

“She pulled that number out of thin air and I was not going to argue with it, though the lawyer was going to and she told him to shut it. Like I said, she never interferes; congratulated us on moving, and that was pretty much it.”

“All owners with minority shareholders should be so lucky.”

“That’s for sure.”

At the same time there was a small meeting going on at a small china factory in Baltimore.

“If we can afford to move to the new building everything will be much easier and production will jump. “

“That is much money.”

“Yes but we will get it back.”

“But we broke until then.”

“We should be able to take out a business loan to tide us over.”

“Banks bad.”

“Only place we can get the money.”

“Not only place. Call money lady.”

He had forgotten their minority owner. She just asked for updates by email now and then; nothing more. Thinking about it, he went to the computer in the small office and typed out an email message.

Jennifer was just surfing the web, relaxing after nursing Jim, when she got an email message. She read it and thought for a moment; then sent back her reply.

He was surprised he got such a prompt response. He read it then turned to them.

“She will loan the amount for one or two years, whichever we like, at 1% interest.”

The old woman smiled. “See? Money lady much better than bank.”

Jennifer quickly wrote the check for $150,000 and called Fed Ex to pick it up.

She then went back to surfing the web, just looking at things. She thought for a moment, then went back to the living history sites she had been visiting. She looked into the companies that made glass and china; she copied the link and sent an email to the China factory, asking if they could do this sort of thing and would they be interested in doing it in the future.

He looked at the second email and then checked the sites mentioned; he did not see anything they could not do and emailed her back telling her so. And they would be interested.

Jennifer smiled at the response. Then had another thought and checked some more living history sites. She nodded to herself and sent an email.

The Owner and accountant were just finishing up when his computer beeped at him. He checked the email and looked thoughtful. The accountant noticed.  
“What is it?”

“Email from Mrs. Wilkinson. She wanted to know if we would be interested in recreating Colonial furniture and other historical furniture. For living history. I said send details.”

“Recreating colonial furniture. That is different.”

“Certainly would be. But why not?”

That weekend Jennifer sat James down and gave him her proposal.

James took his time; reading it then referring back to the study report. When he finished he sat and thought for a while. Then he looked at Jennifer.

“Well this would actually be more complicated then Service Centers, really. And nowhere near as profitable, more than likely.”

“True. But I think it would be very interesting and would help a lot of people in a lot of ways. I already contacted the China and Furniture people and they are interested.”

“This would take up a lot of your time; I know you want this project and would be fully involved.”

“And it would mean that I would probably need an office of my own; instead of sharing yours.”

“Yes. But I can see how much it means to you; and while I would not see as much of you and Jim as I would if you were in my office it makes sense; and you would still be next door.”

“And let’s face it; it would be better for business if your office was also not a nursery at the same time.”

Honesty forced him to admit that, though he had not cared himself.  
“How many people do you want to help out?”

“Well clearly at least one lawyer; and a number cruncher. Also a couple others to do the leg work; there will be a fair amount of traveling involved for them.”

“OK I will let the people at work know about it and ask for volunteers.”

“Now the question is which division? While it might start out at Investment, if it works out it will be in Industrial.”

“Well we will start it out in Investment; then if it does work we shift it to Industrial to run it.”

That Monday at the usual morning meeting of supervisors, at the end James made an announcement.

“Jennifer has another idea about starting up a company; it’s going to be very complicated and probably take some time. So get the word out I want volunteers to work with her on it. 1 Lawyer, 1 number cruncher, and 2 people who will be doing a lot of traveling around the country. I am sure those numbers will increase but that is where we will start.”

The word got out and at lunch that day some of the newer employees were talking about it.

“Anyone know what it’s all about?”

“Nope. But I am willing to bet it’s going to be more interesting than what we are normally doing.”

“So you going to try?”

“Yep.”

“Me too.”

“Tess, I thought you were ambitious to be on the first team?”

“I am. But there is more than one way to move up.”

“Translation please.”

“OK, doofus. It’s pretty clear that she carries a lot of weight not just with the Boss but George as well, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Those that volunteer to help her out make brownie points.”

“Sneaky.”

“Not really. Like Alex here said, it’s almost certainly going to be interesting.”

“And you get a chance to get closer to her, which will get you closer to the boss.”

“Got it in one.”

George looked over the people who had volunteered to help out Jennifer. It was an interesting mix; 6 in all. They did have one lawyer and one number cruncher- though since they were seeing each other that probably added up. The other four, though. Alex was not a surprise; he liked new things and this would be interesting. But Tess on the other hand- she was very ambitious and was pushing to make it to the first team, the group that made first contact on deals and usually had a lot of influence on things. The other two as well; they had only started a few months ago and George did not know them. He decided to talk to their immediate supervisors.

An hour later he had it figured out; the other two were also seeing each other. He buzzed James.  
“Got six instead of four; you did say that more would probably be needed?”

“Sure why not. Any surprises there?”

“Yes, one. Tess Nicholson volunteered.”

“Huh. Now that is interesting; I wonder what her motive is; this will not help her make the first team like she wants.”

“I know. Think I should talk to her?”

“No. I will let Jennifer know and she can talk to all of them.”

“OK.”

The very next day Jennifer brought Jim and placed him in the crib in James’s office; she would move it into hers later on. She then had one by one all six of them come in so she could talk to them.

As it turned out Tess was the most interesting of the group.

“So, Tess. Why do you want to be involved in this?”

“It looks more interesting than what I have been doing.”

“I have heard that you are ambitious, and want to be on one of the first teams. This is not going to further that goal.”

“Not immediately, but with more varied experience I stand a better chance down the road.”

Jennifer grinned. “And it has nothing to do about sucking up to the owners wife, therefore gaining more notice from said owner.”

Tess grinned as well. “Of Course.”

Jennifer laughed at that. “OK, Tess, you are in.”

The next day they all met in Jennifer’s new office. “OK, people, here is what it is all about.” And handed them the proposal. She then sat back and waited for their reaction. The lawyer, Sam Thompson was first.  
“So we are going to both buy up companies and build our own?”

“That is the plan. Also I intend to replace production sources from Pakistan and elsewhere with sites in the US. Get wool from the west and cotton from the south and in the Deep South use cheap labor to make the items. Expand some of these companies by specializing in a limited number of items; so that they can make them cheaper and faster. And frankly stick it to companies like Quartermaster who are making an absolute killing by selling items that cost them $5 and charging $50. 1000% profit to me is obscene. I instead look for making them for say $15 and selling them for $20, or $25. A 33% profit would be grabbed by both hands by anyone anywhere. And that is what we will be setting as our standard: 30-40% profit. Now one thing that we will need to do up front is employ some serious historians and researchers; a lot of the information needed to make correct reproductions are in old books, manuals, drawings and so on. Especially anything made in the 19th and 20th centuries. Historians will be needed to authenticate the books we will use as references; and then there will be the people who have to basically look through museums as that might be the only place we can find examples that will really tell us what we need to know. We are going to start out with the period from 1750 to 1950. Colonial times through the end of WW2. That is where most of the living history interest is; in the future we will expand and go all the way back to ancient Sumerian, around 5000 BC. And most of that will be concentrated with the Roman Empire and the medieval period. But my plan is in the end, years down the road, span 7000 years of human history.”

They all looked at her, stunned by her ambition. She grinned at them.

“Yes I am ambitious. And as a knock on effect of all this we will be at the forefront of those that truly know history and how things were and how they were done. We will in the end influence greatly how history is taught because we will become the real experts. I can foresee the day when we are writing History text books; or become the gold standard at approving them. Now for the nitty gritty. First identify good researchers and historians. And this is how we will do it: Hit the living history fairs, websites, and museums. Find out who the Living Historians use, since they really try and be accurate. Not by who sells the most on the NY Times Best Seller list. As regards researchers, talk to museums. Get their recommendations. Now since I am tied down a little because of Jim, I can only hit those in the immediate Washington area. Obviously we start with the Smithsonian; but we are going to look at all the best museums in the East. And we are all going to be visiting on weekends those renaissance fairs and living history events.”

And that they did. They all started out with various parts of the Smithsonian, then worked their way outwards.

With the weather getting better as spring began, Jennifer began dragging James and the children to events on the weekend. And there were a lot of them.

Jennifer had allotted two months to doing this; and found out that that was not quite enough, but was sufficient to get started. One part of the Smithsonian that not many knew about was its massive collection of historical texts; and to Jennifer the most important part of that was not the letters from generals and presidents, but those from the settler and the soldier and the wives and sweethearts, fathers and mothers of all of them. They got as many copies as they could of these dating from the French and Indian war to WW2.

At the fairs and events Jennifer had told everyone to take as many pictures as possible; and then they would be compared with historical accounts and paintings, etc. As she expected, quite often the Living History people were very accurate most of the time; you could tell who really cared and who just wanted to show off. Movies such as ‘Gettysburg’ and the documentary about making that film were of huge benefit for the civil war period. Most movies were worthless for historical accuracy, however. Luckily there were War Department manuals, drawings and specifications, for the 20th century items; and some for the late 19th century. Ted Larson had been designated as the guy to try and find researchers who were familiar with government publications to find out what was needed. Tess was chosen to smooze other museums and get information that way; Alex Landers would be hitting the Library of Congress for documents. Sam Thompson would be working on any legal hassles getting access; while Linda Ross would be in charge of organizing all the documents they were getting. Julie Sims would be looking at museums out west, looking for what they needed to close the gaps in what they were getting out east.

They had all started this on March 1; Jennifer called a meeting for June 1 to go over what they had learned and what they needed to learn. She was pleased to find out that they had very good coverage of the time period she had wanted. They had total coverage as regards the 20th Century, World War I and II. Documents, specifications, drawings and manuals gave them all the information to start things off. Tess was chosen to actually purchase most of what was currently being produced to see how accurate and what kind of quality was being done. Sam and Linda would start looking at the various companies out there to see who would be worth buying up. The remaining three would start looking at ways to close the gaps found. Most of the problems were in the pre-civil war period, from 1750 to 1840. After that between actual items available for either purchase or close examination in museums and collections, were sufficient to take care of everything. Two researchers had been found and put to work, and they had reported that certain gaps would only be closed by historians. Jennifer was going to tackle the historians herself; she felt that funding research and the like for them would probably get lots of assistance. And she carried the big checkbook. She then informed them that on Aug 1 they would meet again to start actual operations.

Jennifer also had gone and sent out requests to the service centers in the great plains to see about getting wool; and then to the Southwest area to the various Indian tribes informing them of their goals and asking for help in being accurate. Then she started to put out feelers to cotton growers and textile plants to see if any of them would be worth pursuing. Some of the information she got back was sad; very few textile plants were left and cotton was still a crop that had a lot of poor workers involved. She then started looking in the deep south where textile plants used to be, and where they were near cotton growing areas. Cotton would be of great use for the colonial times; wool was not used for a lot of clothing until the 19th century.

After getting the names of the historians of the colonial through early US history, basically 1750 to 1830, she started to contact them.

One crusty old historian by the name of William Daniels was certain she was trying to steal his work. Finally she asked for a face to face meeting; he wanted it in the Smithsonian and she agreed, bringing Jim with her.

Upon finding that the person was just 20 years old with a newborn baby, his suspicion began to ease. When told who she was and why she wanted the information, he relaxed sufficiently to start interrogating her on what she and her group had found out. She then invited him to come to their office.

William Daniels looked at the conference room that Jennifer had commandeered for their storage area; bookshelves had been brought in and Linda had been very good at organizing them all. He began to poke and peruse, and then to take notes. Somewhat amused Jennifer put Jim into the portable crib she had with her and sat down to look at her own notes.

Daniels had to admit he was impressed; they had been very thorough and systematic in their approach. Each period was separate; and in each period they kept separate civilian and military; male and female. And even further separate so that you could pull one file and it would cover Civil war Union enlisted man and it would have all permutations from early war to Zouave to Late war. Everything he wore and all his equipment. Separate ones for Officers and for each side. And each file had pictures; copies of authenticated period daguerreotypes and of samples from museums. Cross referenced from government manuals and regulations. He could tell why they needed help on Pre Civil war back; both authenticated samples and items were much rarer; and there were no drawings or government manuals for most items; and those that they did have were usually somewhat vague. For the colonial period they did have British Army and Royal Navy regulations, which heavily influenced early US uniforms and accessories. But for the civilian side of things it was much harder. His specialty was US Colonial, but he had expanded it somewhat into the 1830’s. There was actually material here that would help in his book, which was about civilian life 1750 to 1810. He decided that cooperation would be in his best interest. He had first been suspicious, then somewhat dismissive of the young woman, thinking it a lark or whim of a spoiled rich girl. Now that he knew her background he could tell it was not that; and this room alone told him that they were very serious. He turned to her.  
“OK. I will help you and you will help me.”

Jennifer grinned. “Done.”

By the August 1 meeting, all the pieces had fallen into place. They had virtually total coverage of the time period, and examples, drawings, specs or whatever that allowed them to duplicate military and civilian life from 1750 to 1945. Jennifer had pulled into a few extra people to start looking at actual production; while the group was now well aware of targeted companies. Jennifer wanted to start moving on buying up the companies and reorganizing their product lines. She also wanted to get the textile plants up and running, and get the contracts signed for cotton and wool. She had found someone well versed in textile production and enticed him out of retirement.

Ronald Woods was from Birmingham, Alabama. He had worked in textile mills in the 1950’s, and had ended up running one until it shut down on the 1980’s. He had retired in the 90’s, and though in his 70’s was still very vigorous. Jennifer had found him mentioned as someone who knew a lot about production of clothing. She had contacted him with her plans and he had jumped in. He knew the old fashioned ways things had been made; and could still be made. She had basically given him a blank check to start up some clothing plants in Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi. And to find cotton farms to buy from. He agreed with her plans to choose the poorest parts of the Deep South to start all this up. He even knew of large cotton, almost plantations, that had sharecroppers still working them. Needless to say under very poor conditions. Jennifer had brought him into a meeting with James and George.

James had looked at him. “How much to buy a couple of these plantations and give the actual workers a better deal?”

Ronald had looked at him, then at Jennifer, who smiled. “He said it before I could.”

He thought for a few minutes. “Probably a few million to as much as ten for each.”

Jennifer nodded. “Find those with the hardest conditions and let us know.”

He nodded. “As regards actual plants, there are several that closed in the late 80’s that still have their machines in them; just been gathering dust for more than 20 years.”

Jennifer looked thoughtful. “Can you find out if they are worth getting?”

“No problem.”

In 6 weeks they had bought 4 cotton plantations for a total of $36 million dollars, and 3 former textile plants for a total of $11 million dollars. They quickly invested another $10 million in the plants getting them ready to produce, and $5 million in the farms to improve the conditions there. Made new and much better deals with the farmers and workers. Then began to recruit old retired textile workers to show the new kids how things were done; Ronald was happy to do it.

George had winced at little at the cost “$62 million dollars; you know how long that will take to recoup?” James had just smiled. “I have the money, and besides you know a lot of that will be tax deductible.”

They tried to keep this as low key and under the radar as possible, but someone figured things out and connected the dots.

“Tonight on the Nightly News special report, Cinderella part II”

What followed was a quick review of the service centers, and now the reinvigoration of the South’s textile industry.  
“Jennifer Wilkinson is a new mother; who has also started a program to restart the Textile Industry in the south; and also to give a better deal to cotton farmers, who are for all intents and purposes stuck in a time warp that dates back to just after the Civil War. Except many of those being exploited are white rather than black. In just the last 60 days, hundreds of poor cotton farmers are getting new contracts, with much more favorable terms, and capital improvements are bringing electricity and running water to many farms that have never seen them. In addition a real health care program, also a first. But that is just the tip of the Iceberg of Jennifer’s plans. She also intends to revolutionize the teaching of History in America’s schools, by using what is known as Living History to teach. That is having people that live and work in the manner in which people lived 100, 200 years ago. Talking and acting just as everyday people did back then. All carefully supported using actual letters and diaries of real people who lived back then. And make it affordable to people to buy accurate recreations of items people used back in history. The implications of this are immense. And to add on, the Service Centers have continued to expand, now over 50 of them nationwide, employing over 21,000 people in the poorest parts of the country. Generations to come will thank her and her husband.”

Jennifer groaned. “How in the world did they find out about my plans to start teaching history using Living History; I only started talking to the various groups in the last few weeks?”

James looked at her. “And when were you planning on telling me?”

“ooopppsss.”

“Well, they would be happy to know that we are going to be opening more Service Centers. In Texas and Arkansas and Missouri.”

“And when were you going to tell me?”

“ooopppsss?”

“How many more?”

“Well, 5 more in the Southwest adding to the 20 already there or building; and about 30 more in those three states; and maybe more after that. Lindsey has been getting more requests for service from companies that are deep sixing the Indian companies; I would not be surprised that in a couple of years we have 100 in all. We are looking at adding another office in Little Rock, Arkansas.”

“Wow.”

“We have been able to get expenses down and revenues are higher than projected; we are looking at over $350 million in profit this year.”

“Another reason you did not balk at the money spent for the mills and farms.”

“Yep. Jennifer, because of you and what we started my fortune will have almost doubled in 5 years.”

“So you are a multi billionaire now?”

“Yes. And you are already a millionaire yourself.”

“What are you talking about; those two small companies are really not worth all that?”

“The textile mills and cotton farms are in your name. Why do you think that news report so prominently mentioned you?”

Jennifer’s eyes grew huge. “Why?”

“Because you deserve it.”

The same white house staffer caught this report as well. The next morning he did some serious checking, then reported to the Chief of Staff.  
“This is all verified?”

“Yes sir.”

“Damn. Those new service centers, how many states will that be?”

“11 states total. And add three with the textiles mills and cotton farmers.”

“14 states.”

“Most of them the poorest ones in the country; and almost without exception the poorest counties in each of those states.”

“Total number of jobs?”

“Still a little soft, but when it’s all said and done upwards of 50,000. And all of them better paying with health benefits and retirement plans. Those in the south will be the first health care plans many of those families have ever had.”

“Remarkable. And all due to her?”

“Yes sir. Well that and a rich man falling in love with her.”

He sat back for a minute. “Well I definitely need to tell the Man about this.”

The First Lady was also in on that meeting. The President was very quiet.  
“These are all well-paying jobs with health care plans and everything else.”

“Yes sir.”

“And all indications show that they will still make a healthy profit?”

“Yes sir, even with the rather large capital investments they have made.”

“And this history part?”

“This actually has been done on a small scale here and there; but nothing even remotely like what she is planning. Educators have said that it’s a good idea for a long time.

The President looked at his wife. She nodded. He looked at his chief of staff.  
“There will be a formal White House dinner honoring her and her husband.”

“Yes sir.”

James had some people working on buying some of the reproduction companies; and was looking at the proposals. George walked into his office; James looked up then looked hard.  
“George, what is it?”

“I just had a call from the White House Chief of Staff. I hope you have no plans for the 1st of October.”

“What is it George?”

Jennifer had just finished nursing Jim, when James came into her office. She smiled at him as she burped Jim.

James looked at his beautiful wife with their son and felt so very humble.

Jennifer noticed something was up. “This looks serious.”

“It is. We are invited to a formal White House Dinner on the 1st of October.”

Her eyes grew huge. “Wow.”

“That is not all of it.”

She did not say a word; she just looked at him.

“We are going to both be presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.”

She was without words.

That evening she cuddled with James as they kept an eye on Jim in his porta crib; he seemed such a cheerful baby.

Jennifer had not spoken much since James had told her what was coming their way. She was thinking about a lot of things. Finally she stroked his arm and smiled.  
“Well I guess I better get another Dress from New York.”

“Yes. Will call her tomorrow and set it up. I wonder if your father would like to come to this thing?”

“I kind of doubt it, but are we allowed to bring guests?”

“You know, I have no idea. Will have George inquire.”

Judy came down and snuggled on the other side of Jennifer; she pulled her sister in closer. “How are you doing honey?”

“Fine, mom.”

Jennifer never failed to smile when Judy called her mom. She kissed the little girls brow. They had told the kids that they would be going to the White House for a special dinner on 1 October.

“Can we come with you?”

“We will see, honey. Are you sure you want to? It will mean sitting and being quiet and well behaved for a couple of hours at least.”

“This is happening because you did good things?”

Jennifer blushed. “Yes.”

“Then I want to see my mommy get thanked.”

Jennifer just about melted into a pile of mush. James shook his head; if Judy ever figured out how she could get away with murder with that sweet smile and manner…

At that moment the phone rang and Judy was right next to it; she picked it up and said”Hello, this is Judy?”  
She squealed. “Daddy! Did you hear about mommy getting thank yous?”  
“She and James are going to go to the White House.”  
“Are you going to come too?”  
“Ok, here is mommy.”

“Daddy, I am not sure about guests but I would like you to be there. Its more than just a dinner; James and I are going to be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.”  
“It came as a total shock to both of us. OK. I will let you know as soon as I do. Love you Daddy.”

She gave the phone back to Judy who carefully hung it up. At that moment Jim woke up and began to cry; Jennifer got up and checked him; he was hungry so Jennifer began to nurse him. Judy watched that with big eyes. When Jim was done, burped and back in his crib where he quickly fell asleep Judy asked  
“Did you nurse me when I was his age?”

“No honey, remember I was too young and your mommy was too sick, and then she died. You never really knew her.”

“You my mommy.”

“Honey I love you, and I know that you think of me as your mommy because I am the only one you have ever known, but really I am your sister. Even if I love you as if I was your real mommy.”

Judy shook her head determinedly. “You my mommy.”

Jennifer hugged her and then just held her, and Judy was content. James had taken that all in; in every way that mattered Judy was right.

A couple of days later, USA Today had a front page article on Wilkinson Enterprises and its nationwide reach; it had a map of the US showing where it was located; it looked very impressive. That article also spoke of the rumor that the Wilkinson’s would be receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

The owner of Furniture Creations shook his head; now he could understand her wish for colonial furniture.

A young man who helped run a china factory in Baltimore Maryland looked up as his grandmother came into the little office with the USA Today in her hand.  
“Money lady doing good things.

The PR firm found itself once again very busy.

That Saturday they went up to NYC to get Jennifer a dress. The Couturier was very happy to see her; she knew all about the big event Jennifer was going to.  
“I knew as soon as I heard; I have been working on a dress for you. Here it is’

Jennifer gasped; it was beautiful; a Royal blue, it looked somewhat like a ball gown; smooth and rich in texture; it had an Austrian bodice; and was very simple. But just right.

“I am going to have a very hard time keeping my hands off of you in that dress.”

Jennifer blushed but looked very pleased. She was still a little bigger up top from breast feeding, so when she put it on she bulged out a little. James grinned “No one is going to look anywhere else.” Jennifer blushed even brighter.

Jennifer managed to get her attention back to much more important areas as more preparations were made to start what she wanted to call Living History Illustrated. It was becoming clear that a good sized permanent staff would be needed to operate it; and to cooperate with schools and Living History groups. George had noticed an old fashioned mansion that was for sale; it dated from the 1890’s and was very large; he had mentioned it to James when they started talking about an office; both thought it was very appropriate and when shown it Jennifer had agreed. It had actually been turned into apartments in the 1950’s but it would not take too much renovation to be useful. It was quickly purchased and Jennifer called Furniture Creations and sent them some pictures and asked if they could recreate that era’s business desks and furniture. The Owner said no problem; they would make it a priority and have it done in a month.

In actuality, the publicity had helped bring more Living History groups in line to help out; Jennifer made it clear that all that did would get items at a deep discount in the future. They now had participating groups in 36 states signed up to help out with the proposed learning events.

In a surprise that he was cooking up for Jennifer, James had contacted a small boatyard in Maine that still built wooden ships; small ones, but wooden. He asked them to estimate how much it would cost to recreate a 18th century brig, about 86 feet long and around 300 tons. A two master, fully rigged and equipped. The owner of the boat yard was very intrigued and soon his entire crew was enthusiastic. Among the many drawings they had they were able to use some pictures and research for guidance. They went to work and the owner hoped to have it done in one year. The total cost was going to be around $1 million.

They were indeed allowed guests and Jennifer decided that everyone was coming, Dad, the kids, Jim. James asked if he was included and got swatted. That evening they all got carefully dressed and rode up to the White House in the stretched Limo rented for that evening.

They were seated just down from the President; Jennifer made sure that the kids were between her and James with her father in the middle. At the last minute James convinced her to leave Jim home with Nancy, Jennifer admitting it was probably a good idea.

It seemed interminable but finally the President moved to the podium and got it started. Jennifer was very nervous; she still thought of herself as the small town girl from Sneedville, Tennessee.

“We are here tonight to honor those who have shown that they care; that they will do something while others wring their hands and cry and moan. James Wilkinson freely admits that his father was a robber baron; and has spent his adult life making sure that no one will ever think of him in that way. He will happily admit the smartest thing he ever did was to wander towards Sneedville, Tennessee on a cold day in March two years ago. His willingness to put his money to use to help others is a lesson to those that think because they inherit money they have no obligations. It gives me great pleasure to award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to James Wilkinson.

Taking a deep breath he walked up and received the medal. Standing at the podium he hoped he remembered everything.  
“Mr President, distinguished guests. I am humbly aware of the honor I just received; and in all due honesty I submit that had I not been inspired by the lovely young girl I fell in love with soon after I first saw her, none of this would have happened. It is said that behind every successful man is a good woman; and I can say with absolute certainty that that is true. Thank you very much.”

“Our other honoree is only 20 years old. Think about that; not old enough to do many things, but old enough to do so very much. Jennifer Lowman at age 13 with the death of her mother took charge of her baby sister, Judy, her 2 year old brother Alex and her 6 year old brother Jake while her father struggled to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table on a small farm near Sneedville, Tennessee; in the poorest county of that state, Hancock County. Now those three children consider their sister their mother in every way that matters. Sadly this situation is not unique in Appalachia. But it’s a lot better now; it’s better in Hancock County and many others across America; and still others to come. And children will learn of their heritage and history so much better because of this fine young American girl. In years she seems a girl; but in every way that matters she is a young lady of great achievements already. I am very honored to present the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Jennifer Lowman Wilkinson.”

Knees shaking she manages to get up there and receive her medal. Unaware of the gasps as the lovely young woman in a beautiful gown walks up to the podium. Her little speech forgotten Jennifer wings it.  
“Mr President, First Lady, honored and distinguished guests. You see before you the smallest of small town girls; and too all young girls everywhere I say this: there is a prince out there for you; you just have to find him. Or in my case get thrown from a horse in front of him. In the blink of an eye my future changed; and that of my family and as it turns out many other families across this country. James gave me confidence; he believed in me when I did not; and he never in any way treated me with anything other than love and respect. And through his love and confidence I have found the strength to attempt to make the lives of others better; to try and reach out and help those so that they can help themselves and others. To teach of those that came before us; because if you do not know where you came from, how can you know where you want to go? I thank you for this great honor, and promise you that I will spend the rest of my life trying to be worthy of it.”  
Her voice had strengthened and gotten clearer and seemed to reach out and touch everyone who heard her. And all those present stood up and applauded.

Jennifer was still shaking a little as she sat down and Judy reached for her and hugged her.

And the buzz around the room was that they had just seen someone who would be heard from again.

That night Jennifer looked at her medal; then quietly closed the case and set it down on the large dresser that she used in the master bedroom. She looked over at James and sighed.  
“It’s going to be hard to top this.”

James very quietly said. “Honey, you will. Just go on the way you have.”

They did not bother to read the write-ups of the evening; if they had they would have been even more embarrassed. Without exception they praised Jennifer to the skies and predicted that she would leave a very large mark on the world.

Determined to get back to business, Jennifer called in her core group for a meeting the next day.  
“Ok people it’s time to get things done. The mills will be making the material in the next few weeks; so we need to finalize all the plans to make use of it. One plant will do wool; the next cotton; the third everything else. We need to start getting the piece shops going; where the crude material will be made into items. One big one will be getting the canvas material ready to have tents made out of it; and other items. Preliminary steps have been taken, we need to finish it up. As regards the iron workers and blacksmiths, we have the people; now we need to find the facilities for them to work in. And the small companies we have bought have already been assigned their specialty products; we need to get them producing. Get on it people.”

Next Jennifer had the big meeting with representatives of most of the Living History groups; she was hosting this in a Holiday Inn, since it would take several days.  
“You all know why you are here. We are going to change the way history is taught in this country; and you all know why that is important. The current knowledge of history that a typical high school senior leaves school with is, to be brutally frank, pathetic. The amount is tiny, and much of what they do know is wrong. The educational system over the last 40 years went from one extreme of monotonously reciting names and dates; to so called interactive interpretive history that was all too often deliberately distorted and twisted due to political and social pressures. Say what you want about the old system, at least it was a lot more accurate. We are going to teach by showing how people lived at the various times in the history of this country. We are going to show the good and the bad; and everything we will teach will be backed up by actual letters and diaries and eyewitness accounts. There will be no ‘interpretation’; no politically correct spin. We are going to have groups of people acting as they did 100, 200 years ago. By doing it that way the children will SEE history as it was, not as someone wanted it to be.”

Many school systems had already requested courses; and Congress was in the process of funding major grants for just these purposes. In the meantime, Wilkinson Enterprises would be footing most of the bills. There were thousands of school systems over the country; the idea was to bring one school as a whole, or one or two grades as a whole, and spend several days starting from Jamestown right through WW2. In between performances, those reenacting it would be open to questions about what they had just portrayed. This would all start at a local Washington DC area High School. It would be the test bed for all the rest. The largest indoor arena available had been rented for this purpose.

Jennifer sat in the stands next to James as it began. A mockup of the Mayflower was shown; and the landing of the Pilgrims; but before that was a performance by Pilgrims in England, showing why they went to the New World. Intolerance, religious freedom, etc. The first performance would go from 1620 to 1700. Indian tribes had been recruited as well to show them as they were; and everything was shown. The dirt and filth, disease and the like; the anger and hate and savagery. Death was common at that time and it was shown as well.  
In the stands were 1700 students from one high school; in the future the arena would have two or three.  
After the first performance an hour went by as students and teachers asked questions; the reenactors and living historians answering in character. Nothing was sugar coated.  
It took almost three hours beginning to end. After an hour long rest the next segment of 1700-1750 was done.  
The next day the first segment was 1750-1800. It was longer; it took 4 hours than 2 hours of questions and answers. Then 1800-1850; that took the rest of the day and even a little longer than scheduled for the questions.  
The third day was one of the biggies; 1850-1900. This lasted all day. The final day was 1900-1950.

This had started on the Monday; on Friday the teachers were back to talk. One thing that many had wondered if it was a good idea to go through so much in one week; this was something that would be determined. The alternative was to do one of these periods each semester the final two years of High School. The feedback from everyone seemed to be leaning towards splitting it up; but they agreed that since these were all seniors then perhaps this was best. They would not get the whole thing if it was split up. So it was tentatively decided that all High School seniors would get it in one dose, while juniors would get it split up over the next four semesters.

All the events had been taped; including the question and answer periods. They were shown to other teachers and administrators. Needless to say there were those that objected to the content; they were all answered in the same way; by being shown actual letters and diaries depicting the events as shown. Those that still objected were politely told there would be no change; you took this as it was or you did not. Fortunately both parties in Congress had approved this program with the President as well, so had most historians. So those that objected found themselves being asked what their problem was.

The feedback and critiques indicated that very little needed to be changed; and this was set as the standard nationwide.

Production of items was now beginning; as part of the education program there would be items given to the schools to put on display. So that the students could feel and touch a Colonial shoe; or a Civil war wool uniform. And so on. One of the more controversial parts had been the depictions of actual battles; those had been done outside in a stadium; nearby. French and Indian – Braddock’s defeat; Revolution-Guildford Courthouse; following Lexington and Concord; and then showing the siege of Yorktown; then civil war showing Gettysburg; Little Round Top and Pickets Charge; WW1 a charge into trenches; WW2 a skirmish in Normandy-Band of Brothers.

Shown in the arena were skirmishes between Indians and other Indians and Indians and settlers, Military. Showing both sides as they were. Indians up against a totally different culture and way of looking at the world; settlers and colonists the same.

It was decided that each 50 year section would be expanded to two days; one inside the arena and one outside at the stadium.

Meanwhile James was glad to hear that the Brig Lexington was finished; it had cost $1.5 million but it was done. Finding crewmen for it was a matter of having to choose from hundreds of applicants. James brought Jennifer to Maine one Saturday and she was shocked at what she found; a sailing ship as it was in Colonial times. Jennifer was over the moon and loved it; and she was glad to have it since it would also be used for teaching as well. They spent most of the day sailing on her; and Jennifer found she was a natural sailor; James not so much.

After getting home late that night James could tell Jennifer was thinking. Finally he pulled her into his arms.  
“OK, honey. What is it now?”

“Do you think you can get someone to build a replica of the Monitor and the Merrimac?”

James had to look closely; there was a definite twinkle in her eye but he had a hunch she was not totally joking. He thought about it.  
“I will do some checking around. See if it is possible without costing a real fortune.”

And he did just that; first contacting the few remaining shipyards in the US; and then talking to yacht builders. The shipyards were interested but estimated the cost in the tens of millions of dollars. Most of the yacht building companies said the same; except for one in Rhode Island, Senesco Marine. The manager was intrigued by the idea. And was willing if drawings and such were provided to take a look and give an estimate. It only took a couple of days to get a fair amount of data to him; he took another couple of days and came back with an estimate of $5 million for the Monitor; and $3 million for the Merrimac, which he said might actually end up costing less. He pointed out that they would both have to be made of steel; Iron was just not feasible. James said fine and sent a draft for $10 million; and also told him that replicating a river boat ironclad such as the Union had used on the Mississippi would also be a possibility.

He kept it quiet; he knew it would take at least a year or more and did not want to have her find out.

Meanwhile the manager had gotten the OK from the owners who were a little bemused by it all; but business at the moment was pretty light so it was not like they had a whole lot else to do. It soon became apparent that the Merrimac would be fairly easy to make; its design was relatively simple. The cannons would actually be the most difficult part to make; but there were a couple of foundries that did make Civil War era cannons; they were commissioned for both ships. The reciprocating steam engines were not hard either; model makers and half scale makers were available; and it was not hard to scale them up. The turret for the Monitor turned out to be the most difficult item; using the old US Navy drawings it would take a lot of careful work to get it done. It was found that using old process steel the look of iron and such would be nearly duplicated. It was not long before virtually everyone in the company was eagerly working on the two ships; a chance to replicate history soon infected them all.

The more they worked on the Monitor the more interesting it got; it was a very different type of ship. It’s very low free board made it dangerous; the ventilators and smoke stacks were so low; any kind of real sea made things hard; they would have to put in plates that would close the entries to the hull if washed over by water. They figured out how to put them in so that they did not show. The small wheelhouse was built as originally designed but heavy glass shutters were installed to protect against heavy seas. When told that some slightly improved designs actually sailed across the Atlantic everyone was amazed; the risk must have been horrendous. One modern change made was that the boilers would be oil fired not coal fired.

Meantime the new company made steady progress; virtually anything needed by a Living Historian or Reenactor from 1750-1950 was available, and at a reasonable price. The notice the teaching program gained the rest of the company was immense; and all the living history groups noted significant interest and new members.

6 months after the first teaching events, things had sorted themselves out and more and more high school students were experiencing Living History. Many college history students found their way into the events; and many teachers as well.

Jennifer was satisfied with the results; but now she started to push her group towards going farther back in History. English Civil war came next; and then the 30 years war in Germany; and the group kept steadily finding things and working on new products and replica’s.

One year after the fun and games they had on the Lexington, James took her to Rhode Island; she had a hunch what it was but kept silent. When he took off the blindfold she looked around; near the ocean. Then she looked where he pointed and she gasped: there moored side by side was the Monitor and the Merrimac. She spent the rest of the day going through them; congratulating the builders as they showed how close they came to duplicating the two famous ships. Somehow the shipyard had kept it quiet; so Jennifer was giddy when she called up the local TV station to come and look.

To say it was a sensation is to understate it; the next day when the cameras were rolling the two ships staged a reenactment of the battle; complete with lots of black powder smoke and explosions, it went nationwide. Jennifer announced that there would be a reenactment of the famous battle in Hampden Roads on the next anniversary.

Meanwhile the manager told James that $1.5 million was left over; James then told them to start on the River Boat ironclad and handed them a large sheaf of drawings and notes and pictures. They promised to have it done by the spring.

Jim had just had his 2nd birthday when Jennifer quietly asked James if he was interested in becoming a father again. His response was to pick her up and carry her to their bedroom.

100 Service Centers were now in operation; 20 more in construction. Lindsey who had been appointed as Quality Control for the service centers, reported that demand had eased to the point where these 20 would probably be the last ones. Sam was in agreement; when they were all in full operation the total number of employees would be in excess of 50,000. The last office was operating in Little Rock, Arkansas; joining Salt Lake City, Utah; Billings, Montana; and Washington, DC as the offices for the Service Centers. The overall headquarters for Wilkinson Industrials remained in the second office established in Washington, DC. Jennifer had relinquished control of the Living History Organization in the old Victorian Mansion; but it seemed that another office would be required soon. The textile plants, cotton farms, clothing factories, and the small companies taken over required more personnel for oversight then could be fit in that old Mansion. Add to that the needs for people to work with the Living History teaching groups made it clear that the Old Mansion could be used for that; but that the actual company world would need an office building of its own. One was being looked for. Since already there were more than 3000 people in the companies and plants and farms, it was clear that more oversight would be necessary.

Congress had allocated sufficient funding to pay for all the expenses of the Living History events; and the knock off effects of that were already clear. Universities reported much more interest in history courses; and the Living History groups were getting lots of new members. A major Hollywood studio was preparing a movie on the Monitor and the Merrimac, and the increased size of reenactment groups had inspired other studio’s to make period films on eras from the Revolution to WW2. Some tv production companies were looking at starting some period TV shows; which everyone agreed would help keep the groups hale and hearty. The river Iron Clad had been completed; and it was making a tour up the Mississippi and would be in Vicksburg in time for the anniversary of the Siege.

Jennifer had once again gotten pregnant in a short period; and was now 6 months along. As with the last time, she was determined to keep working as long as she could. With Judy now 8, she was beginning to show more independence. Jake at 14 and Alex at 10 were growing like weeds. Jim was heading towards his 3rd birthday and showing a distinctly mischievous but cheerful personality. Jennifer had celebrated her 21st birthday and had been tweaked by James that she was starting to get old. She retorted that someone who just hit 40 should not talk. It was interesting that Jake appeared to be interested in going into business; while Alex was still in his anything goes mode.

A recent trip back to Sneedville had underlined the changes there. Between the service center, the data collection center, and the other businesses that had been generated by them, more than 500 jobs were there that had not been before. Hancock County was no longer in the top 20 of poorest counties in Tennessee. This success had been duplicated in more than 100 counties nationwide. There had been talk about awarding Jennifer and James the Congressional Gold Medal; Joe Lieberman had told James that it was just a matter of time. Jennifer had been endlessly solicited by candidates for endorsements; James only slightly less for campaign donations. Both had steadfastly refused to get involved in politics at all.


End file.
